The University was established in 2015 by the Government of Odisha. The headquarters of OSOU is located in Sambalpur, whereas, to fulfil its mandate, it has established 54 regional centres and study centres in different parts of Odisha using the existing infrastructure of government/ government-aided colleges and institutions. OSOU is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), Distance Education Bureau (DEB), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), Bar Council of India (BCI), and Medical Council of India (MCI).