Mangalore University campus at Mangalagangothri, located about 20 km to the south-east of the historic coastal town of Mangalore, sets the tone for the educational endeavours of the three districts under the jurisdiction of the University. It is a picturesque campus that sprawls over 353 acres, overlooking the confluence of the river Nethravathi with the Arabian Sea on one side, and the cloud-capped Western Ghats on the other. It grew out of a modest Postgraduate Centre of the University of Mysore to become the focal point of an independent University in 1980.