Bharathidasan University was established in February 1982 in memory of the great revolutionary Tamil Poet, Bharathidasan (1891-1968). The varsity besides having disciplines of Liberal Arts and Basic Sciences, it has a School of Engineering & Technology, Department of Pharmacy, School of Bio-Medical Sciences, Institute of Management, Department of Education Technology, among others. There are in total 16 Schools, 47 Departments and Centers.
The University is unique in its being "composite" in character. Besides the different disciplines of liberal Arts and Basic Sciences, it has a Department of Pharmacy, School of Bio-Medical Sciences, Institute of Management, Department of Educational Technology, among others. In all, it has 14 Schools and 27 Departments and 8 Centres.
It has several affiliated colleges which offer Undergraduate and Post Graduate programs and few offers M.Phil. / Ph.D programs. The programs offered through affiliated colleges are so diversified that they number more than 250. The student strength in the affiliated colleges is over 1.40 lakhs.