Birla Institute of Technology has consistently been amongst the elite academic establishments in the country, playing an inspiring role in both education and research. In its journey spanning more than five decades, BIT has crossed several milestones in every sphere of education, from those that are purely scholastic to those that pertain to co-curricular activities or administrative measures. The following achievements and distinctions are an indication of BIT's position as a leader in academic excellence.

• The first technical institution to establish a Department of Space Engineering & Rocketry way back in 1964. It was also the first to establish a static rocket test firing facility on campus and to offer P.G. programmes in the strategic areas of space engineering in association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• BIT initiated the concept of Science & Technology Entrepreneurs Park (BIT-STEP) well before it was adopted as a national model. Under this initiative, central facilities and guidance was provided to fresh graduates. A unique tie-up was also formed with the public sector banks in collaboration with the Central and State Government that helped them to establish small-scale industries.
• The first institution to be granted autonomous status in 1972 under UGC Act.
• BIT is one of the first Technical Universities to establish overseas centres in 2000 in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• BIT happens to be the first institute in the eastern region to offer the U.G. level stream in the field of Polymer Engineering.
• BIT has the unique distinction of having established campuses in different parts of the country and overseas centres.
• BIT has, over the years, established international linkages and academic partnership with several leading universities in the USA and Europe.
• BIT was the only Indian University to be a part of the EAGER NETWIC Project of the Asia Link programme of the European Commission, where five leading countries from across the globe were associated for higher education and research in the field of Wireless Communication Technologies.
• BIT is into collaborative R&D work with the United Research Technology Centre (URTC).
• BIT established a Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the year 1972, a Department of Architecture in 1993 and a Department of Hotel Management & Catering Technology in 2002.
• LATAMOS, a DST, GOI Sponsored Programme: The Department of Applied Mathematics has established a Land Surface Atmosphere and Micrometeorological Observational System (LATAMOS) comprising agro meteorological observatory and micrometeorological tower at BIT Mesra. The set-up includes various ground-based equipments to measure and record soil temperature at different depths, soil heat flux, soil moisture, rainfall, humidity, evaporation and duration of sunshine.
• A high-end Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF) has been instituted at BIT under the Technical Education Quality for Improvement Programme (TEQIP).
• Srikanta Pal, Associate Professor, ECE, BIT, Mesra, makes World News: Professor Pal designed a HTS filter, currently installed in the world's largest Telescope, Green Bank Telescope, which has the capability of seeing the entire sky over any earth location.