Dharmsinh Desai Institute of Technology was founded in 1968 by Dharmsinh Dadubhai Desai, who then was a member of Parliament, as an institution of higher learning in the field of Engineering and Technology. It achieved autonomous status under Gujarat University in 1991, and Deemed University status in June 2000.[2] In 2005 the institute achieved full university status and was renamed as Dharmsinh Desai University (DDU). The university started a bachelor's course in Dental Surgery from 2005. It is the first university of Gujarat to get permission of start a Nanotechnology course from 2012. In November 2013, The organization in UK, the 'Oxford Summit of Leaders', chose Dharmsinh Desai University as the best regional university. This is the first time the Oxford group has given this award to a university outside Europe. On the 21st of May 2015 DDU was felicitated for being in the ‘Asia’s 100 Best and Fastest way Educational Institutes 2014-15’ by the WCRC Leaders Asian Education Excellence Summit & Awards.