The university is the second-oldest in the state of Karnataka, after the University of Mysore. Karnatak University once served most parts of Karnataka, including the districts of Dharwad, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Bidar and Ballari until the 1980s. Additionally, from 1953 to 1965, the Manipal Institute of Technology and Kasturba Medical College in Manipal were affiliated with Karnatak University.
