IIT Dharwad is located on the outskirts of the city of Dharwad in the state of Karnataka, close to the main highway. Under the guidance of IIT Bombay, the institute was founded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Indian Government. The designation of "Institute of National Importance" has been given to the Indian Institute of Technology in Dharwad. The current IIT Dharwad campus is located on the campus of the Water and Land Management Institute, which is close to the High Court of Belur's Dharwad bench. The Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad has been given 470 acres by the Karnataka government to build its permanent campus.