Vinoba Bhave University, Jharkhand, came into existence as a teaching-cum-affiliating state university on the 17th of September, 1992, after the bifurcation of Ranchi University, by Act 3 of 1990 passed by Bihar Assembly. It fell under Jharkhand after the creation of the state on November 15, 2000. Its headquarters is at Hazaribag, a town of sylvan surroundings and tranquillity amid verdant forests. The post-graduate campus and the administrative block, along with the university engineering college, are situated over a huge area on the Patna-Ranchi national highway, NH33. Its jurisdiction extends to a large part of North Chotanagpur, including Bokaro, Dhanbad, Ramgarh, Chatra, Giridih, Koderma and Hazaribag districts, comprising a large number of constituent and affiliated graduate and post graduate colleges, technical and vocational institutes. It also exercises authority over all the Sanskrit, Homeopathic and Ayurvedic colleges of Jharkhand.
Vinoba Bhave University is the fruit of a years long endeavour by the people of Hazaribag. Although the history of higher education in the town goes way back into the past, beginning with the establishment of St Columba’s College in 1899 by the brothers of the Dublin Mission, post-graduate curricula were commenced here only in 1972 with the introduction of MA courses in History and Economics. Subsequently, the college was converted into a post graduate centre of Ranchi University. By January 1983, post graduate teaching was extended to four more subjects with the approval of the Government of Bihar - English, Hindi Political science and Mathematics. Finally, by Act 3 of 1990, the Bihar state assembly amended the Bihar state Universities Act 1976, carving Vinoba Bhave University out of Ranchi University. It was aptly named after the great saint and pioneer of the Bhoodan Movement, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, as the sage had received here the biggest land donation in the whole of India for social reconstruction.