Berhampur University was established on 2nd January 1967 by the Odisha Act 21 of 1966 as an affiliating university. The land area of the University is 250.670 Ac. The seven districts currently under the jurisdiction of the University are Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Koraput, Rayagada, Nowrangpur and Malkangiri with over 173 affiliated colleges, five of them being granted autonomous status by UGC and the Lingaraj Law College, Berhampur as the only constituent college of the University.

The University started with one Post-Graduate Department of Labour and Social Welfare (later renamed as Industrial Relations and Personnel Management) in 1967. Subsequently, another 19 regular departments and self-finance courses were established in phases. They are: Botany, Business Administration, Chemistry, Commerce, Computer Science, Economics, Electronic Science & Technology, English, History, Home Science, Journalism and Mass Communication, Law, Linguistics, Marine Sciences, Mathematics, Odia, Physics, Political Science, Zoology. In October 2021, the Khallikote University has been amalgamated with Berhampur University and the Syndicate of the University created four new P.G. Departments, namely, P.G. Department of Biotechnology, P.G. Department of Library & Information Science, P.G. Department of Tourism & Travel Studies and P.G. Department of Environment Studies. These teaching departments offer various courses at the diploma and post-graduate level and also carry out Ph.D.& D.Litt. programs. The University offers courses on self-financing mode in Pharmacy, Education and Finance.