NIE was started in 1946 with diploma programs in Civil Engineering in a room under a thatched roof in Lakshmipuram under leadership of kushagra.

Later, the classes were held in a shed in the nearby Sharada Vilas High School campus, in Mysore.

[4] However, the plan was cancelled due to financial constraints and NIE continues to be an autonomous institute under Visvesvaraya Technological University.

The institute is presently located on Mananthavady Road and Koorgalli (adjacent to BEML), Mysore Spread across 25 acres.

It contains a large, 1200-capacity arena which houses courts for badminton, table tennis and other indoor sports including basketball.