The Gandhigram Rural Institute (GRI) was started in 1956 to take higher education closer to the villagers. The significant educational experiment, broadly conforming to the recommendations of Dr. R. Radhakrishnan Commission relating to Rural Universities and rural colleges, was inaugurated by Dr. R. Rajendra Prasad, President of India in August 1956. The first academic block of Gandhigram Rural Institute was opened by the former Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru in December, 1957. The Govt. of India (Ministry of Education), on the recommendation of UGC, conferred the status of a Deemed University on 3rd August, 1976. The Institute is fully funded by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Govt. of India and Re-accredited by NAAC with “A” grade (3rd Cycle). The Institute stands 79 in the NIRF ranking among all the Universities in India.