Founded by visionary Dr. S. B. Mujumdar in 1971 as an International Cultural and Educational Centre, Symbiosis provides a "home away from home" to a large number of students including foreign students who come to Pune in pursuit of higher education. Living up to its name which is a botanical term meaning "living together for mutual benefit", Symbiosis has grown over the past two decades into a family of 36 academic institutions providing education from Kindergarten to Post Graduation. 

Today, Symbiosis is ranked 5th in the country and is known in India and abroad as one of the best educational institutes imparting quality education in various fields such as Management, Law, Computers, Health Care, Arts and Commerce. In 2002, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India conferred the "Deemed to be University" status on Symbiosis. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has recently accredited Symbiosis International University (SIU) with an 'A' grade. ​