National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal (Mangalore)

 college of technology / polytechnics, college of engineering

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Address: NH 66, Srinivas Nagar, Surathkal, Srinivasnagar, Surathkal, Mangalore, Karnataka 575025
Phone: 0824 247 4033

The National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, formerly known as KREC, is a premier autonomous university along the western shores of India. It was founded in July 1960, as a joint venture between the Government of Karnataka and the Government of India, originally under the name Karnataka Regional Engineering College, Surathkal (KREC). Today, it is one of 18 National Institutes of Technology in India and is recognized as an Institute of National Importance. NITK Surathkal has been consistently ranked as one of the top engineering colleges in the country (see Engineering college rankings in India)Karnataka Regional Engineering College began in 1960, through the efforts of U. Srinivas Mallya and V.S.Kudva. The foundation stone was laid on August 6, 1960. KREC began with three under-graduate courses in engineering: Mechanical, Electrical , and Civil, with affiliation to the University of Mysore. 1965 saw the beginning of undergraduate courses in Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering.
In 1966, the college started its post-graduate courses with a course in Marine Structures and Industrial Structures, following it up with post-graduate courses in Industrial Electronics (1969), Heat Power (1971), Hydraulics and Water Resources (1971), Chemical Plant Design Engineering (1971) and Process Metallurgy (1972).
Further under-graduate engineering courses were added: Electronics and Communication (1971), Mining (1984), Computer Science (1986) and Information Technology (2000).
KREC came into the jurisdiction of Mangalore University when it was started in 1980. All the under-graduate courses were converted to four year terms (from five years earlier).
On June 26, 2002, KREC was renamed National Institute of Technology, Karnataka and awarded the status of a deemed university by the University Grants Commission, in a bid to provide increased autonomy in decision-making.Campus

Located on National Highway 17, by the shores of Arabian Sea, NITK Surathkal is one of few universities in the world that boasts of a private beach, including a lighthouse. The campus is an idyllic spot covering an area of about 295 acres (1.19 km2) and is covered by lush green vegetation in many areas. The sylvan surroundings provide a lovely backdrop for serious academic pursuit and relaxation.
The suburb of Mangalore, Surathkal is about two kilometers south of the college along the NH - 17. The college lies in the Mangalore City Corporation's jurisdiction. The temple town of Udupi is 40 kilometers to the north along the NH - 17. Access to NITK is most convenient by buses from Mangalore City Bus Stand and Udupi. Express buses to NITK depart from these bus stands at regular intervals. The Surathkal railway station on the scenic Konkan Railway line is about 3 kilometers from the college. The Mangalore Airport at Bajpe is about 14 kilometers away, and is served by Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan for domestic passengers; Air India Express serves international destinations such as Sharjah, Dubai and Muscat.
Tourist spots near the institute include Mangalore, Udupi, Dharmasthala and Manipal. Udupi is famous for Udupi cuisine. Udupi and Dharmasthala also house famous temples (Sri Krishna and Manjunatha, respectively). Sandy beaches close to the college include the NITK campus beach, Panambur Beach, Kapu beach, the Murudeshwara beach and the St. Mary's Island (near Malpe, Udupi).Hostels
The National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal is a residential engineering college; hence all attending students are required to enroll for hostel accommodation. Students from adjoining areas commute from home, however, with a permission from the institution. Separate hostels are provided for girl's accommodation. There are 12 hostel blocks in all - 10 for under-graduate boys, 1 for post-graduates and 1 for girls.
Construction of a new mega hostel block for boys with 3 towers spanning 7 floors each and housing over 1500 single rooms has been recently completed while a similar mega hostel complex for the women is going to start the construction phase soon. There are a total of about one thousand four hundred (1400) undergraduate students, three hundred and ten (310) postgraduate students and two hundred (200) women students. Hostel life forms the basis of social life at NITK, with parties, sports activities , gyms and other events taking place continuously, in parallel with academic rigour.
The hostels have been connected to the college network using optic fibre cables and 1 Gbit/s backbone connections.