KhPI is the first technical higher educational institution in Ukraine. It was founded in 1885 as a practical institute of technology with two departments — mechanical and chemical that could only offer training to 125 persons. The organizer and first director of that institute was V. L. Kirpichev who is the honored professor and well-known scientist in the field of mechanics and resistance of materials.

The institute had 17 academics, 10 professors and 7 adjunct professors. In 1898 KhPI was renamed into the Emperor Alexander III Institute of technology due to the in-depth theoretical education. In 1921 the institute set up the first in Ukraine faculty for workers and in 1923 at request of students, teachers and employees the institute was given a name of V. I. Lenin. In 1929 V. I. Lenin institute of technology was renamed into V. I. Lenin polytechnical institute.

In 1930 five independent higher educational institutions for mechanical machine-engineering, electrical technology, chemical technology, engineering-construction and aviation have been set up on the basis of five separate faculties of the institute. During the years of the Great Patriotic war over three thousand teachers, students and employees of the institute joined the Soviet Army. In evacuation (the cities of Krasnoufimsk and Chirchik) the institute not only continued training of the engineering staff, but also solved serious scientific problems related to strengthening the defensibility of our country. So professor Noskov B. A. worked during war period as the chief metallurgist of a factory. For development of steel for the tank T-34 he was awarded the State prize of the USSR which he deposited to the defense fund.

The four higher educational establishments, in particular the institutes for mechanical machine-engineering, chemical technology, electrical technology and institute of the cement industry have been united into V. I. Lenin Politechnical institute. Prof. Semko M. F., doctor of technical sciences was appointed a rector, He was the Hero of the socialist work and had been working for 30 years as a permanent rector of Kharkov Polytechnical Institute.

During the period of the Soviet power the institute had prepared over 120 thousand experts (before revolution — 2400). Many graduates of the institute became Heroes of the Soviet Union and Socialist Labor, outstanding scientists and statesmen, winners of Lenin and State Prizes.

In April 1994 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine gave the status of the State polytechnical university to the Kharkov polytechnical institute.

In 2000 the status of the National Technical University "Kharkov Politechnical Institute (NTU "KhPI") has been given to the University according to the decree of the President of Ukraine.

NTU "KhPI" has been awarded three orders: order of Lenin (1967), order of October revolution (1985)and the Vietnamese order of "Friendship" (1978).

NTU "KHPI" has been accredited as a university of the supreme IV level. It gives training to full time students in 73 specialties and offers 40 specialties for students, who are instructed by correspondence.

Today NTU "KhPI" has the highest amount of the licensed matriculation of students in the eastern and southern Ukraine (4377 places for full time students and over 4104 places for students instructed by correspondence). In 2002 the government placed an order with the university for 1920 full-time places and 220 places at the department for instruction by correspondence.

Today the university has 21 full-time faculty, faculty for instruction by correspondence, faculty for training the university entrants, center for training the foreign citizens, inter-branch institute for advanced studies, three research and design institutes.

NTU "KhPI" includes Guards Institute for Tank Troops named after Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the machine -tool and instrument making technical school. The university has a huge teaching staff represented by professors and academics, which makes up about 1300 persons, among them are 160 doctors of sciences, professors, 760 docents and candidates of sciences (Ph.D.).

• National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute", Department of System Analysis and Information and Analytical Technologies

• Khar'kov Polytechnical Institute