UU meaning in Odisha State University ?

Utkal University is the oldest university in Odisha and the 17th-oldest university in India located in Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Odisha. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating university. The present campus at Vani Vihar located on a sprawling 399.9 acre area in the heart of Bhubaneswar. This is the largest affiliating university in the country having 381 affiliated general colleges including 16 autonomous colleges,100 professional colleges,9 law colleges and 7 colleges.

The university has now the jurisdiction over 9 districts, viz, Angul, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Khurda, Nayagarh and Puri and is spread over an area of 24,973 sq. kilometers catering to the needs of higher education of a population of more than 120 lakhs.

At present the university has twenty-seven Post-Graduate teaching and research departments located within the campus, viz. Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education, University Law College at Vani Vihar. Besides the regular courses, twenty-six sponsored courses are offered under the direct academic control of the P.G. Council of the university. The university is located in the middle of the city. It is 5 km from the airport, 3 km from the railway station. Sainik school is to its north. Mancheswar industrial area is to its east.

In 2016, Utkal University adopted its theme song from "tunga sikhar chula" (1st 3 stanzas) poem of Godabarish Mishra, one of its founder members.