It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges.

[6] It was established in 1857 following a dispatch from Sir Charles Wood, President of the Board of Control, to Governor-General Lord Dalhousie.

Wood's despatch, drafted by Sir Wood in 1854, advocated a range of educational reforms in India, including the establishment of universities in major Indian cities.

[17] Local businessman Premchand Roychand contributed to the cost of construction and named the tower in memory of his mother, Rajabai.

At a height of 9.1 m (30 ft) from the ground, there are eight statues representing the Indian castes.

The tower clock is reported to have played 16 tunes including "Rule Britannia", "God Save the Queen", "Home!

[18] On the initiative of the then Vice-Chancellor, Rajan Welukar, the first phase of restoration of Rajabai Clock Tower started in 2013 and was completed in May 2015.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) gave a Rs 4 crore grant for this phase of the restoration project.

Institute of Chemical Technology (then known as the University Department of Chemical Technology, UDCT), was originally a department of MU, which later gained the status of a university.

By May 2019, it was desperately in need of restoration, and it was said to have been in a dire state for the prior two years.