Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee or IITR) is the oldest technical institution in India, with a distinguished history spanning over 175 years. Founded in 1847 as the Thomason College of Civil Engineering by James Thomason, the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces, its original purpose was to train engineers and surveyors for the construction of the legendary Ganges Canal. After the canal's completion, the institution was renamed to honour Proby Cautley, the canal's designer. It was elevated to university status in 1949 as the University of Roorkee — one of India's earliest independent engineering universities — and on September 21, 2001, an ordinance by the Government of India officially designated it as the seventh Indian Institute of Technology. Located in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, near the majestic foothills of the Himalayas, IIT Roorkee's main campus covers 365 acres of beautifully landscaped terrain, blending heritage colonial architecture with modern academic facilities. The institute also operates a 25-acre campus in Saharanpur (Polymer Science, Paper Technology, Packaging Technology, and Applied Mathematics) and a 10-acre extension centre in Greater Noida. With over 10,300 students across UG, PG, and PhD levels, IITR is one of the largest IITs by student strength. IIT Roorkee offers more than 14 UG, 24 PG, and numerous PhD programmes across 22 academic departments, 9 academic centres, 7 educational service centres, and 1 school — covering Engineering, Applied Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, Architecture, Design, and Management. Flagship B.Tech is offered in 12 disciplines via JEE Advanced. Other programmes include B.Arch (via AAT), B.Des (via UCEED), Integrated M.Tech, M.Tech (via GATE — 24+ specialisations), MBA (via CAT — Department of Management Studies), M.Sc (via IIT JAM), M.Arch, M.Des, M.Plan (Urban and Rural Planning), and PhD across all departments. In NIRF Rankings 2025, IIT Roorkee holds 6th in Engineering, 7th Overall, 1st in Architecture (best in India), 8th in Research, and 8th in Innovation. Internationally, it is ranked 339th in QS World University Rankings 2026 and 141st in QS Engineering and Technology Rankings 2026. The Mahatma Gandhi Central Library — established in 1848 and one of the finest in India — holds over 3.5 lakh documents including a rare 1623 Shakespeare edition, 15,000+ current e-journals, 2 million theses and dissertations, and 35,000+ e-books. In 2023-24 placements, 261 companies visited campus generating 938 full-time offers and 213 PPOs. The highest international package was INR 2.05 Crore (Databricks) and highest domestic was INR 1.50 Crore. B.Tech CSE averaged INR 34.07 LPA. The DoMS MBA batch achieved 100% placement with highest INR 26 LPA and average INR 18.3 LPA. Top recruiters include Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Oracle, Qualcomm, Schlumberger, Uber, American Express, and Texas Instruments. The campus hosts 16 hostels (Bhawans) — 10 boys, 2 girls, 1 co-ed (Vigyan Kunj), and 9 for married/doctoral students — all equipped with Wi-Fi, cybercafes, canteens, gyms, and indoor game rooms. Sports facilities include an Olympic-sized swimming pool, five international-standard tennis courts, three outdoor basketball courts, five squash courts, cricket pitches with floodlights, a football field, a hockey field, and a modern gymnasium. Student life is enriched by annual festivals Thomso (cultural, started 1982), Cognizance (technical), and Kshitij (sports), along with an active Entrepreneurship Cell and TIDES incubator.