Mzuzu University was established by an Act of Parliament in 1998.  It is Malawi’s second national university.  His Excellency the State President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Bakili Muluzi conceived the idea to establish a second national university in the northern part of Malawi in 1995, a year after winning the multiparty elections.

A Commission of Inquiry for the Establishment of the University in the North (COMESUN) was appointed under the chairmanship of Professor John Chiphangwi.  Subsequent to the acceptance of the Chiphangwi Report in 1995, a Working Committee for Mzuzu University (WOCOMU), chaired by Mr. Ron Nkomba, was appointed to undertake the planning process of the university.  The COMESUN acted as a secretariat and was headed by Mr. Bernard Zingano, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture.

As a national institution, Mzuzu University caters for all Malawians irrespective of their home of origin.  Selection is based on academic merit.

Motto of the University is “self-reliance, service, perfection”.

The mission of the university is:

To provide high quality education, training, research, and complementary services to meet the technological, social, and economic needs of individuals and communities in Malawi.