Information about: Indian Institute of Technology & National Institute of Technology

Indian Institutes of Technology are institutions of national importance established through Acts of
Parliament for fostering excellence in education. Over the years, IITs have created a world class
educational platform that is dynamically sustained through quality teaching and internationally
acclaimed research with excellent infrastructure and the best available minds.

The faculty and alumni of IITs occupy key positions in academia and industry, both in India and abroad, and continue to make a considerable impact in all sections of the society.

The National Institutes of Technology (NITs), are a group of premier public engineering institutes of India.
On their inception decades ago, all NITs were referred as Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs) and were
governed by their respective state governments. NITs were founded to promote regional diversity and
multi-cultural understanding in India. Comprising thirty autonomous institutes, they are located in one
each major state/territory of India. In 2007, the Indian government declared these schools as Institute of
National Importance.

NITs offer degree courses at bachelors, masters, and doctorate levels in various
branches of engineering and technology. All NITs are autonomous which enables them to set up their own
curriculum. Admission to NITs was done by the erstwhile All India engineering Entrance Examination,
now replaced by Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEEMain) conducted across India.
At present, there are 31 NITs located across the country.

The primary objectives of IITs are as follows:

To create an environment that encourages freedom of thought and pursuit of excellence, and
inculcates the necessary vision and self-discipline to achieve excellence.
To build a solid foundation of scientific and technical knowledge and to prepare competent and
motivated engineers and scientists.
To kindle an entrepreneurial spirit among the students.
To prepare the students to become outstanding professionals and contribute to nation-building.
At present, there are 23 IITs located across the country.