Universities of Odisha are centers of learning, which cater to the diverse educational requirements of students in India. As per the census of 2011, Odisha has an overall literacy rate of 73.5 percent. Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha is rising as a knowledge center in India, with new public and private universities. There are several universities in Odisha. Ratnagiri, a Buddhist monastery is one of the oldest universities in the state. Some of the other universities of Odisha are described below.
Central University of Orissa
Central University of Orissa is situated in Koraput. It was set up in the year 2009 by the Parliament under the Central Universities Act, 2009 (No. 3C of 2009). The university has various schools like School of Languages, School of Social Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Information Sciences, School of Applied Science and School of Commerce and Management.
Ravenshaw University
Ravenshaw University is located in Cuttack. This co-educational state university has 9 schools and 33 academic departments. The university conducts undergraduate programs in areas like science, arts, commerce, management, computer science and electronics and telecommunication. It conducts graduate programs in science, arts, commerce, management (MBA) and computer application (MCA). Master of philosophy and doctoral degree programs are conducted in the fields of science, arts and commerce.
Utkal University
Utkal University is situated in Bhubaneswar. It was set up in the year 1943. It is the oldest university in Odisha and the seventeenth oldest university in India. It is the largest affiliating university in the country with its territorial jurisdiction extending over nine districts, namely Angul, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Khordha, Nayagarh and Puri.
Sambalpur University
Sambalpur University is located in Sambalpur district. The university started functioning from 1st of January, 1967. It is a teaching as well as an affiliating university. It conducts undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The university campus is about 15 km away from Sambalpur in Burla.
Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology
Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology is located in the city of Bhubaneshwar. It was established in 1962. It is the second oldest agricultural university in the country. The university disseminates knowledge on agriculture and conducts agriculture related research. It has eight constituent colleges and also a postgraduate study center.
Berhampur University
Berhampur University is a state administered university, located at Berhampur. The university is an affiliating institution, with its territorial jurisdiction extending over the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Kandhamal and Boudh. There are twenty-one postgraduate departments in the university.
Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Viswavidyalaya
Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Viswavidyalaya is situated at Balukhand in Puri. It was established in 1981. It is the third Sanskrit university in India and consists of seven departments. The main objective of the university is to develop, promote and encourage research associated with Sanskrit, which is one of the oldest languages of the world.
Other Universities of Odisha
Odisha has several other universities. They are Indian Institute of Technology (IIT, Bhubaneshwar), National Institute of Science Education and Research (Bhubaneswar), KIIT University (Bhubaneshwar), Utkal University (Bhubaneshwar), Utkal University of Culture (Bhubaneshwar), National Institute of Technology (Rourkela), Biju Patnaik University of Technology (Rourkela), Fakir Mohan University (Balasore), National Institute of Science and Technology (Berhampur), National Law University (Cuttack), Sri Sri University (Cuttack), Sri Jagannatha Sanskrit University (Puri), North Orissa University (Baripada), Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (Burla), Siksha O Anusandhan University, Silicon Institute of Technology and Vedanta University.
