Karnataka State Open University was set up in the year 1996 under the KSOU Act, 1996. It was set up with the objective of providing higher education opportunities to the hundred thousand students in the state as well as the country who were not in a position to attend full time courses.
The University has been granted recognition by the UGC Distance Education Council (DEC), Delhi and various other educational associations like Association of Indian Universities, Delhi, Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), London, UK, Asian Association of Open Universities etc.