Poornaprajna College, Udupi was established in the year 1960 as a result of the initiative taken by His Holiness Sri Vibudhesha Theertha Swamiji of Sri Admar Mutt. The college has been maintained and governed by Udupi Sri Admar Mutt Education Council. Initially, the College offered only Arts and Commerce streams. Subsequently, Science courses were introduced at the P.U. level in 1963 and degree level in 1965. In 1972, the Government of Karnataka, extended the duration of the P.U. Courses by one year-and the new two-year P.U. Course remained composited with the degree course at Poornaprajna College till 2001.
Following a policy decision of the Government to bifurcate the P.U. Course from the Degree Course, P.U. Colleges in Karnataka are separate entity since 2001. Private managements were given a choice to opt out for the grant-in-aid scheme and run their hitherto aided PU sections, purely unaided. Weighing the pros and cons of exercising this option, the Management of our college felt that the cause of education would be better served if the college came out of the grant ambit. Accordingly our college is functioning as an unaided educational institution with the name “Poornaprajna Unaided Pre-University College, Udupi” an Off-Shoot of the original name since the academic year 2002-2003.
H.H. Swamiji had dreamt of making our College numero uno within not too distant future and it is a matter of great satisfaction for all as the college is making a steady progress towards the fulfilment of the dream of its founder President. H.H. Sri Eeshapriya Theertha Swamiji the present President of the College Committee, is following in the footsteps of the founder President and is ably guiding the committee to take the college to still greater heights. All the former Principals of the College have contributed their bit in the all round growth of the college. Smt. Prathima Baliga, the present Principal of the College, is confident of building on the solid foundation laid by her predecessors and making the College bask in greater glory in the years to come. Towards this she has the unflinching support of the experienced and dynamic teaching staff of the college who are admirably dedicated to their calling.