Vidyasagar University of Purba Midnapore district is a distinguished university that is administered by the state government. It is located in the Midnapore district in the southern part of West Bengal. Under the University Act of 1981, of the state of West Bengal the University was established on 29th September 1981 at Midnapore to commemorate the contributions made by Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar to the society. Thirty nine colleges are affiliated to this university.

History of Vidyasagar University
The idea of founding a University in the district was argued by the various organizations. It was suggested by the Ghani Committee appointed by the U.G.C that a University should be set up in Midnapore on the ground of its `having a compact area and a manageable number of colleges` (at that time there were 36 colleges with an enrolment of about 42,000), and also of its `having the great advantage of co-operation of the IIT, Kharagpur.

The Government of West Bengal decided in 1978 to establish Vidyasagar University. The U.G.C. approved the proposal. Then the Vidyasagar University Act, 1981 (West Bengal Act XVIII of 1981) was passed; some of its sections were brought into operation on 24th June 1981.

Faculty of Vidyasagar University
It is spread over an area of 182.75 acres in the semi rural areas. The Science Faculty of the University consists of the departments of Chemistry And Chemical Technology, Applied Mathematics with Oceanography and Computer Programming, Physics and Techno physics, Botany and Forestry, Zoology and Fishery Science, Physiology and Community Health, Dietetics & Community Nutrition Management, Microbiology, Economics with Rural Development, Computer Science, Anthropology, and Biomedical Laboratory Science and Technology and Environmental science. The Faculty of Arts and Commerce consists of the departments of Bengali, English, Geography with Environment Management, History, Political Science with Rural Administration, Philosophy and Life-world, Commerce with Farm Management, Library and Information Science, Sanskrit, and Sociology. Other postgraduate programmes of the University include Electronics, Computer Applications (MCA degree), Aquaculture and Management Technology, Remote-sensing and GIS, Master of Social Work, and Master of Business Administration (MBA).

The University is an affiliating institution and several colleges are affiliated to the University. Three Engineering colleges have also been affiliated to the University. These include, Haldia Institute of Technology, Haldia, College of Engineering and Management at Kolaghat and the MCKV institute of Engineering at Liluah.

Objective of Vidyasagar University
The university was established with a mission to provide an answer to the learning needs of the region. The university logo with the slogan Education, Knowledge, Progress embodies the mission.