Daegu University was founded in 1956 by Reverend Rhee Young-shik. Although many Korean Christian universities require students to take chapel or Christianity-related courses to graduate, the school doesn't require students to do so. However, there is a university chapel on campus where students are welcome to attend church services. The school was Korea's first university to establish a department of special education in 1961, which specializes in training teachers that want to work with people with disabilities, and is well-known for its special education major. It is also the first university to have a braille library on campus, which opened in 1981. The school has two campuses, with its main Gyeongsan campus in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang. Most colleges and faculty are found on the Gyeongsan campus. Its Daemyeong campus is in Nam District, Daegu, and is home to various schools for disabled students. Combining both campuses, the university covers a huge 583 acres, making it Korea's third-largest campus after Seoul National University and Yeungnam University.