Schools in Bangalore are either run by the state government or by private, sometimes religious, organizations. Private schools in Bangalore typically use English as the medium of instruction and are affiliated with either the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) or the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board.

After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in Junior College (also known as Pre-University) in one of three streams — Arts, Commerce or Science. Upon completing the required coursework, students enroll in general or professional degrees.

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Chief Engineer and later Diwan of Mysore (1912–19), played an instrumental role in shaping the early history of education in Bangalore. The University of Agricultural Sciences was started as a vocational school under his directives. He was also closely associated with the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science in 1909 and University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) which was founded in 1917, UVCE is one of India's most prestigious engineering institutions.

Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (popularly known as RVCE) is located on the outskirts of the city. Bangalore is home to several other nationally renowned universities such as the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B), National Law School of India University and Bangalore Medical College. St. John's Medical College and Bangalore Medical College are consistently ranked among the top ten medical schools in India.

Bangalore's IT industry recruits extensively from the city's large pool of engineering colleges, notable among them are People's Education Society Institute of Technology, MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology and BMS College of Engineering. The National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), is one of the three places in India where Stem cell research is conducted. International Institute of Information Technology - Bangalore (IIIT-B) is a notable technology institute, that was started with a significant corporate participation in Electronic City.

Bangalore has a number of public libraries with free entry to all visitors. The oldest of the city's public libraries is located in the historical Sir Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall in Cubbon Park.