Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU) is a state public university dedicated to legal education and research, located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is one of the National Law Universities (NLUs) established in different states across India to impart specialised legal education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
| Name | Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | DSNLU |
| Type | State public university |
| Specialisation | Law |
| Location | Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Country | India |
The university is named after Damodaram Sanjivayya, an Indian political leader who served as the Chief Minister of the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh and later as a Union Minister. The naming reflects the institution's location in Andhra Pradesh and the state's tradition of honouring senior public figures by associating their names with major academic institutions.
DSNLU forms part of the broader system of National Law Universities in India, a model of autonomous law schools first pioneered by the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. These universities were created by state legislation to offer integrated undergraduate law programmes, postgraduate degrees in law, and doctoral research, with admissions typically conducted through the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).
As an NLU, DSNLU primarily offers integrated undergraduate law programmes combining a non-law discipline with the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), along with postgraduate (LL.M.) and research programmes. The curriculum covers core areas of Indian law including constitutional law, criminal law, civil law, corporate and commercial law, international law, and related fields.
The university is situated in Visakhapatnam, a major port city on the eastern coast of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Visakhapatnam is one of the principal urban, educational, and industrial centres of the state.
DSNLU contributes to the legal education ecosystem of Andhra Pradesh by training law graduates for careers in litigation, judicial services, corporate practice, academia, public policy, and research. As a state-funded national law university, it also plays a role in promoting access to specialised legal education in the region.