The history of Gujarat that can be measured by time dates back to the last stages of the fourth century B.C. The history of human culture prior to that period begins with the Stone Age. The references of Gujarat and Saurashtra are to be found in the Mahabharat, 'Arthashastra' of Chanakya, Deval Smriti and Buddha stories written during the 1st century A.D. The different strata of cultural life found at various places prove that the culture of Gujarat is at least no less than 4,000 years old!

Gujarat was ruled by Chandragupta Vikramaditya and under his regime in 470 AD a university was set up which came to be known far and wide for its scholastic pursuits and was compared with the famous Nalanda university. It was during his period the great Chinese philosopher-traveller Huan Tang visited Gujarat in 640 AD.

According to the Hindu epics, Lord Krishna and his elder brother Balarama, evacuated Mathura and established themselves at Dwarka and started what is known as the Yadava dynasty.

The Parsees when they fled from Iran in the eighth century first landed at Sanjan on the shores of Gujarat with the holy flame, which still burns in Udwada in Valsad.

Among the earliest Europeans in Gujarat were the Portuguese who settled in Diu, a small island off the southern coast of Saurashtra. After that came the British who set up warehouses in Surat in 1612.

Gujarat is the birthplace of many who played an important role in shaping modern India. Prominent among them are Shri Dadabhoy Navroji, the grand old man of the freedom fight, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the architect of a united India and Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nation. These men carried the torch of national freedom and integration infusing the qualities of tolerance, brotherhood, non-violence and patriotism amongst Indians.

The state has witnessed all-round progress in every field. It has been recognized as one of the leading industrialized states in the country. There are 1500 large and medium, 1,84,119 small scale industrial units registered. The principal industries are textiles, chemicals, and petro-chemicals complex of IPCL and Gujarat Oil refinery located near Vadodara. Gujarat is also the main producer of tobacco, cotton and groundnut in the country.

Gujarat is also known for many national level institutions. The Space Applications Centre (SAC) is an institution for space research and satellite communication in Ahmedabad, India, under the aegis of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Gujarat education system houses some of the best higher education institutions in India namely the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, Nirma Institue of Technology, and Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology. Gujarat education system has a total number of 15 universities including deemed universities and institutes of national importance.

In recent years the development in Gujarat due to major initiatives taken by the government has led to major growth & investment thus leading to new opportunities for all. Unless students get a greater level of access and exposure to higher education & skill development, they will miss the opportunity, to turn the "educational gap into a growth opportunity for all, particularly for those who risk being left behind and being further marginalised". Education has a major role to play in seizing the growth opportunity - both as an enabler and as a user. Pathway Gujarat State Education Directory is a knowledge sharing directory, with access to all that seeks to address this issue.

This directory features contributions from leading scholars from different arenas of higher education along with concise listing of various available educational opportunities available within the state.

Pathway aims to strengthen links between research and practice in growth & development in education for development in hitherto less developed parts of the country, e.g., developing states (especially newly created states or small states), and rural and remote regions of developed states & other developing states. Recognized as one of the leading international directory publisher on higher education studies, Pathway Gujarat State Education Directory has put great emphasis on providing a space for institutional information related to benchmarked & renowned institutions of repute for students and other institutions to jointly explore opportunities using an eclectic mix of information of various disciplines. It brings together information on various available disciplines along with emerging disciplines in terms of institutional listing from throughout the state in universities, polytechnics, colleges, and vocational and education institutions in order to assist in the transfer of best education practice & information to the student & educational community.