Rayalaseema University, Kurnool came into existence in 2008 by Act No. 29 of 2008 enacted by the Legislature of the State of Andhra Pradesh and published in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette on 24 September 2008.

Its establishment is part of the vision of Government of Andhra Pradesh to promote access, equity, and inclusiveness in Higher Education.

The Postgraduate Centre at Kurnool was started by Sri Venkateswara University in 1977 to impart higher education especially to the rural youth of District of Kurnool.

It established the Postgraduate Centre with two courses, one in Economics with specialization in Area Planning and Regional Development, the other in Operations Research and Statistical Quality Control to cater to the needs of the industry.

The Centre was located in a small building to start with and later, in 1979, was shifted to the old municipal office buildings. Two more courses, in Physics and Chemistry, were added in 1979.

State Bank of India offered a chair for the post of Professor in Fine Arts in memory of Sri Damodaram Sanjeevaiah in 1983 for undertaking research which was later converted and established as Department of Telugu in 1985.

The Centre was shifted to University-owned building at B. Tandrapadu, a small village near Kurnool, in 1990. In 1993 the affiliation of the Centre was transferred to Sri Krishnadevaraya University.

Courses in Computer Science, Management, and Mathematics were started in 2000 and courses in Botany, Organic Chemistry, and Zoology were started in 2006.

With the establishment of Rayalaseema University, MA in English and M Ed courses were started in 2008-09; and M Sc in Biotechnology in 2009-10. M Com and M Sc in Electronics and Communications were started in 2012 -13.

Mission
Its mission is to be committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and human values.

It is devoted to the quest of knowledge, wisdom, discovery, and creativity. It promotes personal and intellectual growth to prepare students for productive careers, meaningful lives, and responsible citizenship in a global society.

It holds to the core values of respect, compassion, and social responsibility. In all that it does, it strives for excellence, innovation, engagement, integrity, and inclusiveness.

Vision
Its vision is to achieve national distinction for creativity, innovation and excellence, and become -- through leadership in teaching, research, scholarship, and social action -- a great leader in higher education and contribute to the building of a more humane, just, and sustain-able world.