Photos: Top: the oldest building in College of Engineering Pune ( Photo courtesy Pune Mirror). The central  hall ( Photo:  courtesy  Vikrant More); The telecommunication engineering new building; a gathering of alumni
Pune, July 11 2022: One of the oldest engineering colleges in India, the 168 year old the College of Engineering, Pune,  has become an independent self governing university  on June 21 and will now be known as COEP Technological University.
It will no longer   be affiliated to the  Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) and students who enrol at COEP Technological University from 2022-23 academic year will receive their degree certificates  from COEP.
The new focus will be on integrated M.Tech, PhD, B.Tech-MBA courses and the aim would be on research and skilling reports The Times of India.
It quotes officiating director Mukul S. Sutaone: "The institute has experienced a renaissance in all its practices. COEP has undergone dramatic transformation from a typical state college to a nationally recognised, vibrant, IIT-like institution.”
Brief history ( from the COEP website)
COEP's precursor, The Poona Engineering Class and Mechanical School was opened in July 1854, with an aim to provide suitable learning to the subordinate officers in the Public Works Department. The School was situated in Bhawani Peth, Poona , and the accommodation consisted of three small detached houses for teaching purposes and a separate house for the Principal. The College was affiliated to University of Bombay in 1866. In 1868 the College moved to the New Buildings. The college was divided into three departments for matriculated and unmatriculated students.
The school became "Poona Civil Engineering College", and subsequently in  1911, the nomenclature was changed to the "College of Engineering, Poona". It was initially affiliated to the University of Bombay for a degree of Licentiate in Civil Engineering known as LCE and later to the University of Pune. The degree programs in civil engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering were started in 1908, 1912 and 1932, respectively. From then on, the college has gone on expanding adding new departments and new wings by the year. 
In 2003, the college got autonomous status, thus giving it the freedom to set its own curricula and manage its own finances.
Today, COEP offers nine UG and twenty-four PG programmes, and has more than 3200 students enrolled in its various courses.