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Karnatak University was established at Dharwad in the Indian state of Karnataka in October 1956. It had its official inauguration in March 1950. The campus spans 888 acres (3.59 km²). Dr. D. C. Pavate was the vice-chancellor from 1954 to 1967. The rapid development of the institution is credited to him.

The university is recognized with the "Potential for Excellence" by the University Grants Commission. The university is the second oldest, after University of Mysore, in the state of Karnataka. The Karnatak university once used to serve most part of Karnataka like districts of Dharwad, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar and Bellary till 1980's and also from 1953 to 1965 Manipal Institute of Technology and Kasturba Medical College Manipal were affiliated to Karnatak University Dharwad and all degrees were awarded by Karnatak University.

The bifurcation of districts and establishment of new universities in this region has led to jurisdiction area of Karnatak university to present day districts of Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Haveri and Gadag.

The university currently has the following faculties: Science, Management studies and social sciences. Medical science and engineering faculties were also present. However, the Government of Karnataka established Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences for Medical Science and Visvesvaraya Technological University for engineering.

• Department of Computer Science
• Department of Electronics
• Department of Physics
• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Statistics
• Department of Library Science
• Department of Applied Genetics
• Department of Microbiology & Biotechnology
• Department of Chemistry
• Department of Botany
• Department of Geology
• Department of Sericulture
• Department of Zoology
• Department of Marine Biology
• Department of Oceanography
• Center for Excellence in Polymer Science
• Research Center For DNA Diagnostics

• Department of Sociology
• Department of Economics
• Department of Political Science
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Gandhian Studies
• Department of A.I. History & Epigraphy
• Department of Law
• Department of Education
• Department of Anthropology
• Department of Geography
• Department of Yoga Studies
• Department of Criminology & Forensic Science
• Department of Journalism & Mass Communication
• Department of Philosophy
• Department of Psychology
• Department of Population Sciences
• Department of Social Work
• Research Center for Women's Studies
• Department of Library and Information Science
• Department of Urban Design & Planning

Master in Business Administration,

Master in commerce,

Master in Corporate Secretaryship

• Dr.R.C.Hiremath Institute of Kannada Studies
• Department of Cultural Studies
• Department of Folklore
• Department of English
• Department of Sanskrit
• Department of Foreign Languages
• Department of Hindi
• Department of Yoga Studies
• Department of Music
• Department of Kannada Research Institute

• Karnatak University PG Centre, Karwar.

This centre has Marine Biology and Economics as subjects of excellence.

• Karnatak University PG Centre, Kerimattihalli, Haveri
• Karnatak University PG Centre, Gadag

All colleges except those offering professional courses in the districts of Dharwad including Dharwad city colleges, Gadag, Haveri and Uttara Kannada are affiliated to Karnatak University, Dharwad.

Karnatak University's five colleges in Dharwad area are referred as constituent colleges. Administration is in the hands of Karnatak University. However, the affiliated colleges are managed by trusts. Examinations, textbooks and results are conducted by the university.

G.S. Paramasivaiah (a former student of the Nobel laureate CV Raman) was the first principal of the Karnatak Science College. He was also the secretary of KLE Society Belgaum. He played an important role in the founding of Karnatak University.

In 1947, the government of Bombay Province made attempts to establish a university in the Northern part of Karnataka. As per resolution No. 7914 of the Education and Industries Department, the government of Bombay, a committee was constituted on 17 April 1947 to make recommendations regarding the form, scope, constitution and jurisdiction of a university for Karnataka in the Northern region. Lingayat educationalists like Prof. G.S. Paramasivaiah, along with Prof S.S. Basavanal and Dr. S.C Nandimath, were associated with the committee. The Karnatak University came into existence in 1949.

• J. Alexander (politician)
• Tejraj M. Aminabhavi
• G. S. Amur
• K. S. Amur
• S. Rajendra Babu
• Shobhan Bantwal
• U. Narayan Bhat
• P. T. Bopanna
• Joseph D'souza
• Sucheta Dalal
• Vasant P. Dandin
• D. V. Guruprasad
• Suresh Heblikar
• Jyoti Hegde
• Panduranga Hegde
• S. R. Hiremath
• Narayan Sadashiv Hosmane
• Ramachandra S. Hosmane
• Ramakrishna V. Hosur
• Pankaj Jain
• A. M. Jayannavar
• Jayanth Kaikini
• Shashikala Kakodkar
• Chandrashekhara Kambara
• Girish Karnad
• Vivek Kulkarni
• Ananth Kumar
• Bhaskar Maiya
• Sudha Murty
• Ramdas Pai
• T. M. A. Pai
• V. R. Panchamukhi
• Y. G. Parameshwara
• Jaiprakashreddy Patil
• Pius Fidelis Pinto
• Vasant K. Prabhu
• A. R. D. Prasad
• K. V. Ramesh (archaeologist)
• Anil Sahasrabudhe
• Srinivas Kishanrao Saidapur
• V. C. Sajjanar
• Anant Krishna Shastry
• Srikanth (actor, born 1968)
• Siddeshwar Swami
• Agnikumar G. Vedeshwar

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karnatak University.

• Official Karnatak University website