The National Institute of Technology Patna (NITP) is a National Institute of Technology, created by the Government of India on January 28, 2004. Its origin can be traced to 1886 with the establishment of a survey training school and subsequent renaming as the Bihar School of Engineering, Patna in 1900. A graduate level curriculum was introduced in 1924. It was renamed as Bihar College of Engineering Patna in 1932. The institute is the sixth oldest engineering college of India. It was granted Institute of National Importance status in accordance with the NIT Act. In 2004, the Government of India decided to upgrade the college to NIT status as the state of Bihar had lost its only REC, located at Jamshedpur, after its division. All RECs were gradually upgraded to NIT status as a step towards creating more centres of excellence in technical education similar to the Indian Institutes of Technology. In accordance with the Indian government's objective of having at least one NIT per state, Bihar College of Engineering was the first institute to be directly upgraded to NIT status.