Guru Ghasidas University was established by an act of State Legislative Assembly. It commenced official responsibility on June 16, 1983. The University was named after Satnami Saint Guru Ghasidas who fought against the prevailing evils and injustices in the society.

Guru Ghasidas University is a residential cum affiliating institution. The University is located at a distance of 5 kilometers from Bilaspur on Bilaspur- Ratanpur road. The territorial jurisdiction of the University extends over the Bilaspur Revenue Division of the state of Chhattisgarh, which comprises of Bilaspur, Raigarh, Sarguja, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Jashpur and Koriya districts.

The University has about one hundred and twenty five colleges under its wing and several University teaching departments completing the whole range of higher education. The courses are offered in the areas of Arts, Commerce, Education, Engineering and Technology, Law and Humanities, Life Sciences, Management, Medical Science, Pharmacy, Physical Science, Natural Science, Social Science.

Guru Ghasidas University has two campuses; the main campus is at Bilaspur while the new campus is at Surguja ( Ambikapur). The main campus is spread over an area of 875 acres. The extension campus at Ambikapur provides professional and job oriented courses in order to generate employment in the region.

This University is an active member of the Association of Indian Universities and Association of Commonwealth Universities. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has attributed the University B+ status.