North-Eastern Hill University was set up by an Act of Parliament and notified on 19th July 1973. Since its inception, North-Eastern Hill University has been instrumental in disseminating and advancing knowledge by providing instructional and research facilities in such branches of learning

At present, there are fifty-three undergraduate colleges affiliated to the University including eight professional colleges. The University Central Library whose membership includes university and college teachers, postgraduate and undergraduate honours students and members of the non- teaching staff has a collection of close to 2,00,000 books, 38,000 bound periodicals and it subscribes to 316 foreign and 366 Indian current journals.

A number of departments of the University now receive special grants from University Grants Commission under its Special Assistance Programme. Four of the Science departments including Geography also receive grants under the UGC's SAP/COSIST Programme.

The University is also the recipient of a number endowments donated by various organizations and individuals including by Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, former President of India and Justice Krishna Aier. NEHU was also chosen for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Chair for research into protective discrimination. Several individual members of the faculty have been honoured with the highest academic awards in the country.