Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University is a state public university at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha. It was established in 1998 as North Orissa University and became operational in 1999 after being carved out of Utkal University. The university’s main campus at Takatpur, known as Sriram Chandra Vihar, developed as a teaching, research and affiliating centre serving northern Odisha. It received recognition under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act in 2000 and under Section 12(B) in 2006. In December 2020 the Government of Odisha changed the institution’s name from North Orissa University to Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, with the new identity honouring the former ruler of Mayurbhanj known for contributions to regional development and education. The university’s academic profile includes a substantial group of postgraduate departments in sciences, humanities, social sciences and professional fields, alongside doctoral research. Its territorial and affiliating responsibilities have historically included colleges in Mayurbhanj and adjoining areas, regions with significant tribal populations and distinctive ecological and cultural resources. This context has shaped academic interests in tribal studies, biodiversity, natural resources, regional history and community-oriented research. The university also operates distance and online education functions and maintains recognition or professional links relevant to programs such as law and teacher education. Its campus supports laboratories, central library services, student facilities, research projects and interdisciplinary academic activity. The institution has undergone multiple cycles of quality assessment and holds established national memberships. Its evolution from North Orissa University to MSCB University reflects continuity rather than a new foundation: the 1998 statutory institution remains the same university under a commemorative name. Today it serves as a major postgraduate, research and affiliating university for northern Odisha, combining regional responsibilities with a broad multidisciplinary academic structure. The 2020 renaming preserved the statutory and academic continuity developed since its 1998 establishment.