Vikram Dev University is a state public university located in Koraput, in the southern part of the Indian state of Odisha. It serves as one of the principal centres of higher education in the Koraput region, catering largely to students from the tribal and rural districts of southern Odisha.
| Name | Vikram Dev University |
|---|---|
| Type | State public university |
| Location | Koraput, Odisha, India |
| Country | India |
| Predecessor | Vikram Dev (Autonomous) College |
The university traces its origins to Vikram Dev College, a long-established institution of higher learning in Koraput town. The college was named after Vikram Dev Varma, a former ruler associated with the Jeypore region. For many decades, Vikram Dev College functioned as one of the most prominent degree colleges in the undivided Koraput district, offering instruction in arts, science and commerce, and was later granted autonomous status.
Following a policy in Odisha to upgrade leading autonomous colleges into unitary universities to expand access to higher education in underserved regions, the institution was reconstituted as Vikram Dev University.
The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across the faculties of arts, science, commerce and related disciplines. It also supports research activity in selected departments. As a unitary university, its academic operations are concentrated on its own campus rather than through a network of affiliated colleges.
Koraput district lies in the Eastern Ghats and has a substantial Scheduled Tribe population. Higher education institutions in the region, including Vikram Dev University and the nearby Central University of Odisha, play an important role in widening access to tertiary education for students from tribal and rural communities in the southern districts of Odisha, including Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri.