The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has established its 3rd Regional Centre in the State of Andhra Pradesh at Visakhapatnam in order to provide better and efficient student support services to learners. Visakhapatnam Regional Centre has been carved out of the then Vijayawada Regional Centre. It was inaugurated on 29th March 2011 by the then Hon’ble Minister of State for HRD, Govt. of India Smt. Dr. D. Purandeswari garu. The Regional Centre covers five districts namely Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari with a network of 25 learner support centres. All the districts are agro based and Visakhapatnam is the only major urban centre in the Region with the headquarters of Eastern Naval Commend, Steel Plant, Shipyard, fertilizer plants and NTPC power plant.

Visakhapatnam (also known as Vizag & Waltair) is a port city on the southeast coast of India and is the second-largest city at the state of Andhra Pradesh (after Hyderabad) and the third-largest city on the east coast (after Chennai and Kolkata). The city is home to several state-owned heavy industries and a steel plant; it is one of India's largest seaports and has the country's oldest shipyard. Visakhapatnam is the only natural harbour on the east coast of India. The city was named after Visakha, the Hindu god of courageous. It is situated among the hills of the Eastern Ghats and faces the Bay of Bengal on the east. Visakhapatnam is the administrative headquarters of Visakhapatnam district and headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Indian Navy. The city has a nickname of City of Destiny and, more recently, the Goa of the East Coast. Like its west-coast counterpart it offers attractive beaches, laterite hillocks and a pleasing landscape.

Visakhapatnam also has Andhra University which was established more than 85 years ago and has the campus of Indian National Maritime University. Andhra University is not just one of the oldest educational institutions in the country, but is also the first to be conceived as a residential and teaching-cum-affiliating University, mainly devoted to post-graduate teaching and research and has more than 600 affiliated colleges in this region.

The presence of IGNOU Regional Centre in this region is much helpful for promoting IGNOU academic programmes to the disadvantaged learners and also the mixed culture of population in this area because of the presence of major corporate and industrial establishments like NTPC, VPT, VSP and HPCL.

Visakhapatnam city is easily accessible by Road, Rail, Sea and Air mode of Transports. The Regional Centre of IGNOU is centrally located in the prime area of the city surrounded by the lush green atmosphere which is just 4 KM away from the RTC Bus Station and Railway Station. By taking 900 city buses it is very easy to reach Regional centre located at Usodhaya Junction in MVP colony.