Motilal Nehru Regional Engineering College was established on June 26, 1961 as a joint enterprise of the Central government and the government of Uttar Pradesh. The foundation stone was laid by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India and the institute was named after his father, lawyer and freedom fighter, Motilal Nehru. The founding principal of the college was Mr. Gopal Kishore Agrawal.

The college has been recognised by AICTE as a centre for the Quality Improvement Programme. In 1972, the college established an industrial estate with 68 sheds with the objective of encouraging entrepreneurs and creating additional revenue.

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad (formerly known as M.N.R.E.C), the cornerstone of excellence has been devoted to churning out the best and ever competitive technical professionals year after year ever since its founding. Located in the traditional cradle of culture and knowledge, MNNIT stands as the perfect epitome of profundity and inquisitiveness. The MNNIT site spreads over 222 acres (0.9 km2) on the bank of the river Ganges.