Rabindra Bharati University was formed under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. It is located at Jorasanko Thakur Bari, home of Rabindranath Tagore.

The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Performing Arts under the Faculty of Fine Arts, Visual Arts under the Faculty with same name, Humanities, Social Sciences and other subjects under the Faculty of Arts.

Two of the three faculties of the University, those of Fine Arts and Visual Arts, are still located there, when the Faculty of Arts was founded in 1976. The new campus was on the grounds of the "Emerald Bower," a mansion built by Harakumar Tagore, the poet`s uncle. The main administrative office is also situated at the Emerald Bower Campus.

The university was reconstituted in the year by 1981 by the Rabindra Bharati Act, 1981.

Courses offered by Rabindra Bharati University
The courses offered by the university are: Certificate courses, Diploma courses, Undergraduate Degree Courses, Postgraduate Degree Courses and Research/Doctoral-Level Courses.

Some of the undergraduate degrees offered are other that the regular subjects include:
B.A. (Honours) - Dance
B.A. (Honours) - Drama
B.A. (Honours) - Instrumental Music
B.A. (Honours) - Instrumental Music (Percussion)
B.A. (Honours) - Rabindra Sangeet
B.A. (Honours) - Vocal Music
B.V.A. (Bachelor of Visual Arts : five-year course)
Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) - Painting
Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) - Sculpture
Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) - Graphics (Print making)
Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) - Applied Art
Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) - History of Art

Some of the Post Graduate degree courses include:
Master of Arts (MA) - Dance
Master of Arts (MA) - Drama
Master of Arts (MA) - Instrumental Music
Master of Arts (MA) - Instrumental Music (Percussion)
Master of Arts (MA) - Musicology
Master of Arts (MA) - Rabindra Sangeet
Master of Arts (MA) - Vocal Music
Master of Arts (MA) - Mass Communication & Videography
Master of Visual Arts (MVA) - Painting
Master of Visual Arts (MVA) - Sculpture
Master of Visual Arts (MVA) - Graphics (Print making)
Master of Visual Arts (MVA) - Applied Art
Master of Visual Arts (MVA) - History of Art

Ph.D courses are also offered by the University.