The Indian Veterinary Research Institute or abbreviated as IVRI was laid by its name on 9th December in the year of 1889 as a venture of bacteriology in Pune, a city in the state of Maharashtra. As the time progressed the institute was shifted to Mukteswar in the Kumaon district of the Uttranchal state. As the institute grew with the time, its activities got extended and thus came up its new campus in Bareilly (Izatnagar) in 1913 which aimed at large scale manufacturing of vaccines, medicines and sera (serum). The Indian Veterinary Research Institute is at a stage where the Bareilly campus is its primary headquarters with other centers at Mukteswar, Bangalore, Bhopal and other regional stations at Palampur, Srinagar and Kolkata. Although with a great history like this, the institute got its accreditation as the deemed university from the date of 16th November, 1983 by the UGC Act, and it was in 1985 that this university got its first academic session running and on its way.

The institute as per the history of its courses goes used to provide post graduate trainings and other teachings from the year 1900, but later the institute also facilitated the imparting of National Diplomas. But the turn came around in 1958 when the institute got its Post- Graduate College of Animal Sciences wherein many research, masters and doctoral programs are being taught in an approximate of 19 disciplines over the hierarchy of 22 levels. Besides these post graduate courses, National diplomas, doctoral courses and other masters training the institute has also been actively collaborating with other bodies to ensure professional getting a hands on training on the fields of veterinary and animal sciences.

The institute is well equipped with all the modern facilities that a high level advanced educational institute must have, spread over the vast area of 307 acres, it holds a vast and varied library having books on animal sciences, it also have separate boys and girls hostel, bank, post office within the same campus. Also the campus is reachable by road directly or the campus is at a mere distance of 1km from the Izatnagar railway station.