Shivaji University, established in 1962, is named after the Great Maratha Warrior and founder of the Maratha empire Chhatrapati Shivaji. It was inaugurated on 18th November, 1962 by Dr. Radhakrishnan, the then President of India. One of the major objectives behind foundation of this University was to cater to the regional needs of South Maharashtra. The jurisdiction of the University is spread over three districts viz. Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara with strength of about 3,00,000 students studying in 280 affiliated colleges and recognised institutes. This region of Maharashtra boasts of rich and varied socio-cultural heritage. Under the innovative and socially reformist leadership of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, the princely ruler of Kolhapur, the city had become at the beginning of this century, a focal point of educational opportunities for all classes and communities of South-Western Maharashtra, and northern parts of neighbouring Karnataka. This is also land of Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil, who struggled for taking education to the masses by his innovative 'Earn and Learn' scheme. When the University was founded by the Shivaji University Act of 1962, the objectives set before the University included making opportunities of higher education accessible to rural youth, conducting fundamental and applied research in the field of science and humanities to ensure regional growth and development. The University's efforts towards excellence are being recognised by the substantial grants received from funding agencies like UGC, DST, DBT etc. The another indicator of recognition of University is collaborations with premier institutes in the country. Shivaji University has recently signed MOU with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai for research in Material Science. It has also joined hands with Indian Institute of Geo-Magnetism, Mumbai and industries like Phyto-Pharma. Prestigious institutes like Maharashtra Police Academy, Nashik and Centre for Social Studies, Surat have sought affiliation with the Shivaji University. Shivaji University has been re-accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) Bangalore, with "A" Grade (CGPA-3.16) (2014). Shivaji University has bagged the 28th position in the rankings announced by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). As per the INFLIBNET report, Shivaji University stands second in use of Nature publications Group's (NPG) e-journal usage in the country. Shivaji University has also signed MoU with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune. Under the agreement, the two institutions will exchange information and communication technology.