NIT Patna origin can be traced to 1886 with the establishment of a survey training school and subsequent renaming it to Bihar college of Engineering in 1900.

[2] The campus lies alongside Gandhi Ghat where students usually enjoy scenic views of river Ganges.

Land for a new campus, a 125 acres (51 ha) plot, has been assigned at Sikandarpur village in Bihta, around 40 km from Patna.

[6] The institute maintains a central library which has 150,000 books and 1,100 e-journals and works for only about 10 hours per day.

With activities and competitions taking place every other day, students are provided with opportunities to develop their soft skills and therefore broaden their perspective.

[12] Cultural fest activities include events such as face painting, singing, dancing, antakshari and rangoli competitions[14] as well as art and craft exhibitions and sports.

[13] Technical events include robotics,[11] circuit designing, programming, and presentation competitions[citation needed] and workshops.

[citation needed] The students of NIT Patna also celebrate Parakram, the annual intramural sport festival.

[citation needed] Every year in January, NIT Patna holds a week with events such as cricket, football, table tennis, badminton, carom, and discus throw.