It was Her Excellency Maharani Kempa Nanjammanni Vani Vilasa Sannidhi the Regent of Mysore in 1899 who donated 30 acres of land for Experimental Agricultural Station at Hebbal and appointed Dr Lehmann, German Scientist to initiate research on soil crop response with Laboratory in the Directorate of Agriculture. Later in 1906, Dr Leslie Coleman, Canadian Entolomologist and Mycologist who succeeded Dr Lehmann and served with missionary zeal for 25 years. This Experimental Station was allotted 202 acres with 30 acres of wetland, receiving rainfall of 808 mm later. In 1913, Sir M Vishveshwaraiah, the then Diwan of Mysore (1912-1919) played the key role in establishing the Mysore Agriculture residential School at Hebbal in 1913 and appointed Dr Leslie Coleman, the first Director of Agriculture, Mysore to head this School to offer Licentiate in Agriculture for 15 students annually. In 1946: Mr MA Srinivasan, Minister of Agriculture, took initiative to establish Agriculture College, Hebbal, for offering four year professional degree program in Agriculture affiliated to the University of Mysore. In 1956, Sri Kengal Hanumanthaiah, the Chief Minister, decided to construct a new building for Agriculture College, and laid the Foundation Stone on 25/Jan/1956. In 1961, GOI constituted Agricultural University Committee headed by Dr Ralph Cummings of Rockefeller Foundation. The Committee visited Hebbal Bangalore in June 1961 and submitted a favorable report for formation of Agricultural University at Hebbal. In 1963, Government of Mysore headed by Sri S Nijalingappa, CM, in April decided to establish UAS along the lines of Land Grant College system of USA and passed the University of Agricultural Sciences Bill (Act No. 22) which received assent of the President of India on 25th May 1963 to become the Law. The CM granted 1300 acres to Gandhi Krishi Vigjana Kendra Campus. In 1964, Government appointed Dr KC Naik, MSc, Ph.D (Bristol) working with USAID as the first Vice Chancellor on 12th June 1964. 

The UAS was inaugurated by Dr Zakir Hussain, the Vice President of India on the 21st Aug 1964 in the august presence of Mr Chester Bowles, the then US Ambassador to India and Sri S Nijalingappa, the then CM. In 1969: Smt Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, inaugurated GKVK campus on 12th July.

In 1958, Veterinary College, Hebbal was established. On October 1, 1965, the Colleges of Agriculture at Hebbal, and Dharwad, Veterinary College at Hebbal, 35 research stations located all over Karnataka and 45 ICAR schemes which were with the State Department of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries were transferred to the newly established University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. Later, Marine Product Processing Training Centre (MPPTC) at Mangalore and the Krishi Vignana Kendra, Hanumanamatti, Dharwad district were transferred to the University.

The University established Fisheries College at Mangalore in 1969 to offer Bachelor of Fisheries Science training and the Agricultural Engineering Institute at Raichur to offer three year diploma in Agricultural Engineering.

In 1974, Home Science College was started to impart education in rural home science at Dharwad campus, besides establishing a College of Basic Sciences and Humanities and College of Post Graduate Studies at Hebbal.