National Institute of Technology Srinagar (NIT Srinagar or NITSRI) is a public technical university located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is one of the 31 National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and as such is directly under the control of the Ministry of Education (MoE). It was established in 1960 as one of several Regional Engineering Colleges established as part of the Second Five Year Plan (1956–61) by the Government of India. It is governed by the National Institutes of Technology Act, 2007 which has declared it as Institute of National Importance. NIT Srinagar admits its undergraduate students through Joint Entrance Examination (Mains), previously AIEEE. It has 12 academic departments covering Engineering, Applied Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences programs. Also, the medium of instruction is English. History NIT Srinagar was established in 1960 as the Regional Engineering College, Srinagar. The first Chairman was Wajahat Habibullah IAS (2004-2014)It was one of the first eight Regional Engineering Colleges established by Government of India during the first Five Year Plan. The institute shifted to its present campus in 1965. The Regional Engineering College, Srinagar was upgraded to become the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar in July, 2003. In the same year, the institution was granted Deemed University status with the approval of the University Grants Commission, All India Council of Technical Education and the Government of India. On 15 August 2007 it became an Institute of National Importance under the NIT Bill passed by the parliament of India. Location The institute is located on the western bank of Dal Lake near the Hazratbal Shrine in the north eastern region of the Srinagar city. The institute is located 23 km from the Srinagar International Airport and 13 km from Srinagar railway station. Admissions The admissions to undergraduate through Joint Entrance Examination (Main) (JEE-Main) or Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) (through SAT), for non-resident Indians. Admission to postgraduate courses is done based on Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) scores, through Centralized Counselling for M.Tech (CCMT) for M.Tech courses and though Joint Admission Test for M.Sc. for M.Sc. courses. Academics The university includes eight engineering departments, for Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, and Information Technology, as well as four Physical Sciences departments for Physics, Chemistry, humanities and Mathematics. Campus and student life NIT campus is located on the