The NITG is one of ten newly set up NITs [1] during the 11th Five Year Plan by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD).

For the permanent campus, an area of 300 acres, spanning from Cuncolim to Balli, was identified by the state but the project ran into trouble when locals objected to the proposal as 50% exclusive reservation was not promised for Goan students.

The former Chief Minister of Goa, Mr. Manohar Parrikar reiterated that no land will be given to the institute if 50% reservation is not provided for Goan students.

[5] The Government of India finally decided to reserve 50 per cent of the seats exclusively for Goan students in the National Institute of Technology, Goa from academic year 2012-13.

For M.Tech Programme, the Institute admits students through valid GATE score followed by CCMT (Centralized Counselling for M.Tech Admissions).

[11] Currently, a three-storey building inside the Goa Engineering College(GEC) campus is renovated and refurbished with various classrooms, laboratories, administrative section and a conference hall.

A Central Library[12] and center centres were set up exclusively for NIT Goa students, while hostel and dining facilities have also been provided on the campus.