Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU), Hyderabad was established in 1982.

The University was renamed as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University in 1991 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

The establishment of this University, the first of its kind in India, heralded an era of affirmative action on the part of the Government for providing opportunities of higher education to all sections of society and catering to the changing individual and social needs. Hence the motto of the University is Education for all.

In 1983, the University started functioning with a modest learner enrolment of 6,321 and 22 study centres. Since then there has been a steady growth in intake and an increase in the number of study centres.

In 2001 the enrolment is about 1 lakh and the number of study centres has increased to 137. The total number of students on rolls in all the programs is about 4,50,000. Now the total study centres increased upto 200.