Dibrugarh University was set up in 1965 under the provisions of the Dibrugarh University Act, 1965 enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly. It is a teaching-cum-affiliating university with limited residential facilities. The university is situated at Rajabheta at a distance of about five kilometers to the South of the premier town of Dibrugarh in the easternmost corner of Assam as well as India.

Dibrugarh, a commercially and industrially advanced town in the entire north-eastern region also enjoys a unique place in the fields of Art, Literature and Culture. The district of Dibrugarh is well known for its vast treasure of minerals (including oil and natural gas and coal), flora and fauna and largest concentration of tea plantation. The diverse tribes with their distinct dialects, customs, traditions and culture also make this area a variable paradise for the study of Anthropology and Sociology besides art and Culture.

The Dibrugarh University Campus is well linked by roads, rails, air and water ways. The National Highway No. 37 passes through the University Campus. The territorial jurisdiction of Dibrugarh University covers seven districts of Upper Assam, viz., Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sibsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur.

The university Campus extends over an area of more than 500 acres of which 60 acres are still covered under tea plantation.

Dibrugarh University is a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). The Degrees conferred by this university are recognised by all the universities in India and abroad on reciprocal basis.