The Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET), formerly known as the Thapar University and the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology University, is a deemed-to-be university located in Patiala, Punjab, India. It is one of the older private engineering institutions in northern India and is recognised primarily for its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in engineering, sciences, and management.
| Name | Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology |
|---|---|
| Former names | Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (1985–2007); Thapar University (2007–2017) |
| Type | Deemed-to-be university (private) |
| Location | Patiala, Punjab, India |
| Founded | 1956 (as Thapar Institute of Engineering) |
| Founder | Karam Chand Thapar |
| Affiliated group | Thapar Group |
The institute was established in 1956 by the industrialist Karam Chand Thapar, founder of the Thapar Group, with the objective of providing technical education in the region. It originally opened as the Thapar Institute of Engineering, offering diploma and degree-level engineering programmes. The institute is set on a campus in Patiala, in the Malwa region of Punjab.
In 1985, the institute was granted deemed university status by the Government of India under the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956, allowing it to award its own degrees. It functioned under the name Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology until 2007, when it was renamed Thapar University. In 2017, the institution adopted its current name, reverting to the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology branding while retaining deemed university status.
TIET offers undergraduate (B.E./B.Tech.), postgraduate (M.E./M.Tech., M.Sc., MBA, MCA), and doctoral (Ph.D.) programmes. Engineering disciplines covered include computer science and engineering, electronics and communication, electrical, mechanical, civil, chemical, and biotechnology. The institute also houses schools and departments dedicated to mathematics, physics, chemistry, energy and environment, and management studies.
The LM Thapar School of Management, located at a separate campus in Dera Bassi, offers management programmes under the institute. TIET has also established academic collaborations with international universities, including a long-standing partnership with Trinity College Dublin for joint programmes.
The main campus is located in Patiala and houses academic blocks, research centres, residential hostels, libraries, and sports facilities. The institute maintains separate hostels for men and women and operates faculty housing on campus. The Dera Bassi campus, in the Mohali area, hosts the management school and certain research facilities.
TIET is among the prominent privately founded technical institutions in India and has consistently featured in national rankings of engineering institutes published by the Ministry of Education's National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The institute is associated with the broader educational and philanthropic activities of the Thapar family, which has also been linked with other educational institutions in India.