Roorkee College was set up in 1847 A.D. and was the first engineering college in the British Empire. In 1854, the College was renamed as the Thomason College of Civil Engineering. It was elevated to a status of University in 1948 by an Act of the state because of its potentiality and also because of its need in independent India. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in the November 1949 Charter raised its standards making it the first Engineering University in Independent India. It is located at Roorkee in Uttar Pradesh.

The University of Roorkee ever since its inception has advanced technical knowledge and trained manpower to meet challenges at the national and international level. It is the pioneer institution in the area of education and research in the arena of science, technology and engineering. The University offers graduate degree in ten disciplines of Engineering and Architecture. Along with this it provides fifty-five postgraduate degrees in Engineering, Applied Science and Architecture and Planning. It also has facilities for doctoral research in all departments and Research Centres.

The courses offered here are Architecture and Planning Hydrology, Bio-Sciences and Bio-Technology Humanities and Social Sciences, Chemical Engineering Institute of Paper Technology, Chemistry Management Studies, Civil Engineering Mathematics, Earth Sciences Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Earthquake Engineering Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 3 Electrical Engineering Physics, Electronics and Computer Engineering Water Resource Development Training Centre.