[7] IIST offers regular engineering undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate programmes with focus on space science, technology and applications.

[11][12] At its inception, the institute started functioning at the ATF Campus, under Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala.

Modern environmentally friendly buildings of unique architecture merge well with the thickly wooded campus of 100 acres situated on the foothills of Sahyadri.

A state-of-the-art residential campus built near Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Valiamala, Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram was inaugurated by Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister of India on 25 August 2009.

IIST offers undergraduate (BTech), master's (MTech) and PhD programs in space science and technology, and also serves as a research centre.

The admissions to the undergraduate (BTech) programmes for 2013 to 2016[15] were made through the All India Rank List prepared and published by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), based on the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) – Main.

Previously, IIST admitted students through the IIT-JEE rank lists from 2007 to 2009, and conducted its own entrance exam called ISAT[16] from 2010 to 2012.

However, applicants will need to qualify the JEE Advanced exam, and marks obtained in the same will be used in determining the eligibility of the candidate[17] IIST offers 140 seats for admission to its B.Tech.

The applications for admission to MTech courses[18] are invited directly and students are shortlisted based on undergraduate academic performance, GATE score, interview and projects undertaken by them.

It[28] spans all facets of cultural activity, including dramatics, fine arts, literature, quizzing, music, dance, film-making, and photography.

IIST has signed a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with international universities and Institutions for joint research, and exchange of students and faculty.

The Satish Dhawan fellowship at California Institute of Technology was announced by K. Radhakrishnan, chairman, ISRO on 3 June 2013.

[30] The fellowship provides an opportunity every year starting from the winter session of the academic year 2013–14 to one meritorious graduating student from the Aerospace Department of IIST to be sponsored by the Department of Space, Government of India to pursue master's degree in aerospace engineering at the California Institute of Technology.