When was IIT Roorkee established?

IIT Roorkee was established in 1847 and was known as the College of Civil Engineering. It was founded by James Thomason who was the then Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces. The main focus of the college was to train civil engineers involved in the construction of the Ganges Canal. It was changed to the University of Roorkee over the years and became the first engineering university of independent India on November 25, 1949. 

The Indian Government gave the university IIT status on September 21, 2001, making it the seventh IIT in the country. Since its inception, IIT Roorkee has seen major academic programs, research facilities and infrastructure. It now has 21 academic departments offering 12 UG courses, 48 PG courses and 3 dual degree programs in various disciplines. 

IIT Roorkee also has its campus in nearby Saharanpur city. The School of Paper Technology was established by the Indian Government in 1964. It merged with the University of Roorkee in 1978 and was later renamed as IIT Roorkee, Saharanpur campus. Currently, it offers MTech and PhD programs.