The institute was established in 1995 as the Orissa School of Mining Engineering, Degree Stream [3][5] and was renamed to GCE Keonjhar in 2012.

The State government has initiated steps for developing it into a centre of excellence (CoE) in Earth science and technology.

[1] In 2017, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) was introduced at the institute as an extra-curricular activity, giving students the opportunity to serve the armed forces.

The academic departments in GCE Keonjhar include the following: Students are admitted in Undergraduate Engineering Programs through the JEE-Main and Lateral Entry through OJEE.

Some seats are reserved for Diploma holders in Engineering as per the rules of SCTE & VT, Odisha and DTET.

[citation needed] Utkarsh is the annual techno cultural festival of GCE Keonjhar.