Dantuluri Narayana Raju College (D.N.R) was established in 1945, before Indian Independence, and was an offshoot of the National movement and renaissance thinking. Being agrarian, the Godavari region had been kept out of the higher academic activities in the Pre-Independence period.
Sri Dantuluri Narayana Raju, a freedom fighter, an activist and a visionary wanted to provide the uneducated rural masses with the hither to unthinkable and unreachable source for their overall development and welfare i.e. higher education. That visionary, with the help of limited number of committed lieutenants and Philanthropists, strived hard with a missionary zeal and realised the establishment of a college at Bhimavaram, Known as West Godavari Bhimavaram (W.G.B) College in 1945.
In 1964 it was renamed as Dantuluri Narayana Raju (D.N.R) College in memory of its founder.
The introduction of post graduate courses in 1971 is a milestone in the history of the college. The infrastructure available in the college became an impetus for starting an Engineering College in 1980. In view of the outstanding academic excellence maintained by the college since its inception, the college was conferred autonomy in the year 1987, by the University grants commission, India. Consequently, the college has academic freedom to introduce new courses.
It is a matter of great pride that D.N.R.College has grown from strength to strength, achieved tremendous Progress, and won the laurels of one and all under the most efficient and benign guidance of D.N.R.College Management since its inception. Under the fervent stewardship of various office bearers and members of the college Management, D.N.R.College has reached the peak of glory. The erstwhile Managements under the leadership of former Presidents Sri R. Venkataramayya, Sri G. Venkaiah Naidu, Sri G. Mohan Das, Sri T. Krishna Murthy, Sri G. Jagannadha Raju, Sri G. Ranga Raju, Sri Bh. Vijaya Kumar Raju, Sri G. Ranga Raju (Murali), and Sri Ch. Sreeranganadha Raju and the former Secretary and Correspondents Sri Dantuluri Narayana Raju, Sri G. Jagannadha Raju, Sri G. S. Ramabhadra Raju, Sri M. Rama Raju, Sri D. Bapi Raju and Sri G. V. Narasimha Raju have contributed a lot for the tremendous development of the college. The newly elected Governing body of the college Association under the young and dynamic leadership of Sri G.V. Narasimha Raju, President and Sri G.Satyanarayana Raju (Babu), Secretary & Correspondent has been very actively striving for further development of the college and they are also planning to start new courses both at undergraduate and Post Graduate levels. More than adequate infrastructural facilities such as furnished lecture halls, independent and well equipped laboratories, one of the biggest and orderly maintained library consisting of about 1,20,000 books, a huge auditorium, a big play ground with eight line running track, two tennis courts, a modern gymnasium, a basket ball court with international standards, etc have been provided by the college management. Additional facilities such as student information Bureau, book stores, canteen, post office, commercial Bank, Medical Health Centre, etc., have been provided for the benefit of the student community.
Two big hostels one for boys with about 1000 intake capacity and the other for girls with about 500 intake capacity are provided by the management for the benefit of students from far off rural places. In addition to these a student maintained hostel is also catering to the needs of some more students. Moreover a new building called Subbaraju Bhavan named after Datla Subba Raju garu, father of a philanthropist Datla Achutha Rama Raju garu of Penumantra village, was constructed to provide free Lodging and Boarding facility for about 250 non-scholarship meritorious students.
For the benefit of the students who can not afford regular college education, the college is hosting the distance education centre of Andhra university and also that of Dr B.R. Ambedkar Open University.
During 21st-23rd February, 2005 a peer team constituted by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) visited the college. After thorough inspection, the peer team was very much satisfied with the academic excellence, infrastructural facilities such as buildings, laboratories, library, sports and games, outstanding alumni etc., On the recommendation of the peer team the executive committee of NAAC was pleased to declare D.N.R.College (Autonomous) with accredition at the ‘A’ level. It is one of the most significant achievememts of the management of D.N.R.College Association, teaching staff, non-teaching staff and the student community at large.
The College Completed 60 Years as a Premier institute in the field of higher eduction and celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 2006-07. The D.N.R.College has been developed to such a great level that it is not only one of the biggest colleges at the national level but also the most prestigious institution, the credit of which certainly goes to the committed Managements, dedicated staff and the students with the highest degree of discipline and backed by the grace of Almighty.