It started functioning on 1 November 1986[2] with Rama Rao as the university's first chancellor.

Following the death of Rama Rao, a directive was issued by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to rename the university "NTR University of Health Sciences", carried out on 2 February 1998.

In 2022, the then CM of Andhra Pradesh Jagan Mohan Reddy has changed the university name to "DR. YSR University of Health Sciences" after the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Y.S.

The university offers graduate, postgraduate, diploma, and super-specialty courses in modern medicine; dental surgery, nursing, Ayurveda, homeopathy, and Unani; graduate degree courses in naturopathy, physiotherapy.

[citation needed] Source:[7] The university publishes the quarterly multi-disciplinary Journal of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, available both as a free, open-access journal online as well as in print.