Brawijaya University (UB) was established by the President of the Republic of Indonesia through wire no. 258/K/61 issued on July 11, 1961. The name Brawijaya was taken from the title of the Kings of Majapahit, a great kingdom in Indonesia from the 12th to 15th centuries. Later, UB changed its status to a state university on January 5, 1963, following a Presidential Decree issued earlier the same year.