The Bharathiar University was established at Coimbatore by the Government of Tamilnadu in February 1982 under the Bharathiar University Act, 1981 (Act 1 of 1982). The erstwhile Postgraduate Centre of the University of Madras formed the core of the Bharathiar University, which was functioning at Coimbatore before 1982. University Grants Commission (UGC) recognized Bharathiar University in 1985 for grants.