The Karnataka State Open University came into being to achieve the following objectives:

1. Democratizing Higher Education by taking it to the doorsteps of the learners
2. Providing access to high quality education to all those who seek it, irrespective of age, region or formal qualifications
3. Offering need based academic programmes by giving professional and vocational orientation to the programmes
4. Promoting and developing distance education in India
5. Relaxed entry regulations
6. Providing opportunities to study according to one’s own pace and convenience
7. Flexibility in choosing the combination of courses from a wide range of disciplines
8. Providing opportunity to study from one’s own chosen place and pace