National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur (commonly referred to as NIT Hamirpur) is a public technical university located at Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh state of India and is wholly funded by Government of India. It is one of the twenty National Institutes of Technology established and administered by Government of India. It runs undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Engineering and Architecture and Doctor of Philosophy programme in Engineering, Sciences and Humanities. The institute ranks 20th in the nation and is among the 6 NITs which are in the top 20 list. Computer Science at NIT Hamirpur is among the top 8 CS/IT programs outside IIT system.

History

Established in 1986 as Regional Engineering College, Hamirpur in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, it was a joint enterprise of the Government of India and the Government of Himachal Pradesh. Come 26th June, 2002 REC Hamirpur was awarded the status of deemed-to-be university and upgraded into an NIT. As a result of this transition the institute came under the sole purview of the Government of India. Recently, it has been awarded the status of institute of national importance by an Act of Parliament. Also,more recently,it was adjudged as the best NIT in terms of infrastructure by the World Bank.



Departments in NIT, Hamirpur

NIT Hamirpur currently has 7 academic departments, namely:

 Applied Sciences & Humanities
 Architecture
 Civil Engineering
 Computer Science & Engineering
 Electrical & Electronics Engineering
 Electronics & Communication Engineering
 Mechanical Engineering

Students are admitted through their performance in the All-India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), held every year. The academic year starts from early August and terminates in late May. The semester system of education is followed and each academic year consists of an odd and an even semester, which are punctuated by a short winter vacation during late December and early January, and a longer summer vacation spanning June and July. Engineering undergraduates need to successfully complete eight semesters in order to be awarded Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech), while their counterparts in the field of architecture need to complete ten semesters to be awarded Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch).

In 2005 Master of Technology (M.Tech) were introduced in different departments.

In 2006 Doctor of Philosophy programme was also started in different departments.
 

Campus Life of NIT, Hamirpur

The institute campus is situated in Anu in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, India. The campus is at an altitude of 900 metres above sea level and overlooks the Dhauladhar range. It is approximately 4 kilometres from the main bus terminus of Hamirpur town on the National Highway running through Hamirpur and Toni Devi.

Being a residential institute, there are five boys' hostels and one girls' hostels in the campus along with separate residences for the faculty and staff. Each hostel has its own peculiarities. Some have four-seated or triple-seated rooms, while others have doublets and singlets. The different hostels are:

Dhauladhar Boys' Hostel
Kailash Boys' Hostel
Manimahesh Boys' Hostel
Parvati Girls' Hostel
Shivalik Boys' Hostel
Vindhyachal Boys' Hostel

The canteen, juice bar, Nescafe coffee bar and the nearby Ekta Cafe are some of the most frequented jaunts. Not to forget Tilak's Dhaba, which used to serve delicious dishes even in the middle of the night when the examinations were in full swing.Sadly(shockingly for the alumni who might not be aware of this recent development),the Tilak la dhaba was closed by the college authorities for no good known reason.Students are terribly disappointed over this gratuitous and extreme step taken by the college authorities. The complete absence of a movie hall in the district is overcome by the fortnighly movie shows held in the auditorium.

Hill 'Ffair and Nimbus are the official cultural and technical festivals respectively. Nimbus is a comparatively younger event than Hill 'Ffair. During the days of Hill 'Ffair the open air theatre becomes the nerve-centre for all activity. The rock show, fashion parade, and the Mr. & Miss Hill 'Ffair competitions are some of the most popular events.


2nd Gate performs during Hill 'ffair 2005 in the Open Air TheatreA number of extracurricular activities are organized throughout the year by the ISTE students chapter of NIT Hamirpur. The newly formed GNU/Linux User Group of NIT Hamirpur organizes workshops, demonstrations, presentations all throughout the year. The students are also running a literacy mission to help the poor children residing in and aound the campus to stay ahead in life. Art of Living sessions are also organized regularly at subsidized rates for those residing in the campus.