Academic activities actually commenced in the 1973/74 session, in what was then a Campus of the University Of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
However, the new autonomous institution started academic work with the faculties of Arts, Science and Social Science in October 1976 with an initial enrolment of 896 students.

Of this number, 406 students were carried over from the University of Nigeria. The teaching, administrative and technical staff either transferred from the University of Nigeria (UNN) or newly recruited, numbered about 156.

At the beginning of the 1977/78 academic year, the Department of Education, formerly a part of the Faculty of Arts was upgraded to the faculty of Education.
In the 1978/79 academic year, the College of Medical Sciences was added, while the Faculty of Law, established during the 1979/80 academic year began offering courses in October 1980.

The Faculty of Agriculture was established during the 1980/81 academic year. Since then the University has been experiencing impressive growth.
The University has one Graduate School, ten Faculties, and three Institutes. These are The Faculties of Agriculture, Arts, Education, Law, Management Sciences, Sciences, Social Sciences, Allied Medical Sciences, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, the Institute of Education, the Institute of Oceanography and the Institute of Policy and Administrative Studies.

Academic programmes of the University aim at laying a sound and the broad undergraduate foundation upon which further intellectual and professional pursuits can be based at the Graduate school level.