Tunga Mahavidyalaya (Kannada: ತುಂಗಾ ಮಹಾವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ), Thirthahalli (Dist. Shivamogga) was established in 1967 under the management of Tunga Vidyavardhaka Sangha (R).

It is one of the premier colleges established to impart & provide in the field of higher education for the deserving candidates and prove to be a milestone in the part of progress.
 
The college is affiliated to Kuvempu University, Shivamogga in 1994 and it is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under section 2(f) on 22nd October 1990 & 12(B) under Act, 1956.

It is re-accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with "B" Grade (CGPA Score 2.81 on a 4 Point Scale in 2nd Cycle) on 10th March 2012.

The college is located at the foothills of Anandagiri in Thirthahalli Town. Tunga Mahavidyalaya "is the offspring of" Tunga Vidyavardhaka Sangha" - an association of the philanthropists.

The college has got in its possession a vast premises covering an area of 27 acres of land. It provides for a sufficient number of rooms for each class, laboratories, conference, committees, library, sports and administrative work and separate waiting room for girls.

It is the offspring of Tunga Vidyavardhaka Sangha. The association founded Tunga Mahavidyalaya with a vision of social transformation through a center of higher education and has grown in stages as a center of higher education in this region. The focus is on the all-round development of students.

At present, the college offers three years undergraduate courses in Arts, Science, Commerce, & Management streams with various specializations and offers two years postgraduate course in Commerce stream under Kuvempu University, Shivamogga. It also offers Add-On courses.

Vision:

• To march towards becoming an institution of excellence providing higher education programs for the students of rural Malnad region based on the needs values and career demands of a globalized world

Mission:

• To create opportunities for pursuing various programs by introducing new courses/upgrading existing one
• To nurture a spirit of co-operation and competition among students while focusing on their academic, social and spiritual development
• To create confident aspiring individual who is aware of the wealth of the tradition
• To initiate improvement in infrastructure facilities and learning resources needed for imparting quality education
• To develop research culture among faculty members/students, keeping in the mind the local needs and exigencies
• To keep abreast of the developments in different areas of knowledge through faculty development and training programs
• To progressively evolve systems of interaction among all stakeholders