Vyatka State University was founded in 1963.
In 2016 Vyatka State University of Humanities became a part of Vyatka State University. Now it is one of the biggest universities in the Volga-Vyatka region in the central part of Russia.
Vyatka State University became one of 11 winners of the contest on creation of supporting regional universities held by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia.
Since 2013 the University annually confirms the status of the highly effective university awarded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia in accordance with the results of federal monitoring.

The university consists of 9 institutes:
- Institute of biology and biotechnology;
- Institute of chemistry and ecology;
- Institute of engineering;
- Institute of economy and management;
- Institute of law;
- Institute of mathematics and information systems;
- Institute of Pedagogics;
- Institute of social sciences and humanities;
- Institute of continuing education for Russian and foreign citizens.

23 190 undergraduate and graduate students study at VyatSU annually.
936 professors and lecturers work here.

The University has good material and technical base for learning, living and working:
- 20 educational buildings;
- 9 hostels;
- sport complex with a swimming pool;
- stadium;
- sports camp;
- sanatorium;
- botanical garden;
- driving school with its own circuit;
- scientific library;
- 40 scientific laboratories and centres.

The number of implemented professional educational programs:
- undergraduate – 195;
- graduate – 106;
- specialty – 66;
- postgraduate – 67.