The Institute awards Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees in engineering, technology, architecture, science and humanities.

The institute's history can be traced back to 1947 when the Architecture Department was established by the Madhya Pradesh Government.

In the meeting held in October 1962, the governing board of the college resolved to name it after the eminent engineer, planner, and statesman of the country M. Visvesvaraya.

The college started functioning in 1960 from a camp office in the premises of Government Polytechnic, Nagpur and subsequently, an area of about 214 acres was acquired to house an independent Regional Engineering College at its present location.

The campus has significant green space, and is mostly untouched by the pollution of the rest of the city.

The institute has a gymkhana, as well as grounds for tennis, badminton, basketball, volleyball, football, hockey, and cricket.

The institute has launched an MTech in EV Technology And M.tech in Applied Ai [8] and will soon offer Aeronautical Engineering.

Another 20% of students are admitted based on industry or other research organization sponsorship, with full tuition typically paid by the sponsoring institution.

[9] The institute invites applications for PhD degree admissions in all departments every academic year.

VNIT Nagpur's Diamond Jubilee was held in 2020, with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari attending as the chief guest at the inaugural function of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.