DCE has grown into a premiere institution providing quality Engineering Education to mould the students into technologically sound, efficient, effective and creative engineers. The College campus is located in the neighbourhood of highly industrialized and technologically advanced city of Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu.

DCE is offering four U.G courses in Engineering and Technology and PG cousre in Computer Applications. All the above courses offered in the campus have been approved by the AICTE, New Delhi and affiliated to the Anna University, Chennai.

DCE has earned a name amidst the student community as a Distinguished Center for Engineering and Technological studies.

DCE is an ISO 9001 : 2000 certified institution.

Dhanalakshmi College of Engineering, popularly known as DCE, was started in the year 2001 out of the vision of the eminent academician and former professor of Anna University, Dr.V.P. Ramamurthi. The ardent desire of Dr.V.P.Ramamurthi, Founder and Chairman of Dhanalakshmi Educational Trust is to serve the student community culminated into this sprawling institution.

DCE is the sister institution of the Indian Institute of Professional Education known as IIPE, Chennai.

Dr.V.P. Ramamurthi graduated from the College of Engineering, Guindy ( Now Anna University) in the year 1965, with Electrical and Electronics Engineering as his branch of specialization. He immediately took up teaching assignment in the same college. His quest for higher learning, prompted him to obtain post graduation from the same institution and Doctorate in the area of power electronics from the I.I.T Chennai. He has to his credit more than 20 technical papers, published in journals of national and international repute. He has guided several projects at the graduate and postgraduate level. Besides these academic distinctions, he is one of the very few who has accomplished technology transfer from the academic arena to the industrial houses such as HTL, ELCOT Power Control etc., to name a few. While in Anna University, he was closely associated with the conduct of Tamil Nadu Professional Courses Entrance Examinations (TNPCEE). Enriched by this experience and his strong desire for innovative teaching methods, he sought voluntary retirement from service after a distinguished career of 28 years, to prepare students for competitive and career oriented examinations.

Dr. V.P. Ramamurthi established Indian Institute of Professional Education (IIPE) essentially to prepare students for competitive examinations such as TNPCEE, AIEEE, PMPD, AIIMS, JIPMER etc. To begin with, the institute restricted itself to train the students, aspiring to become Engineers and Doctors, through the Tamil Nadu Professional Courses Entrance Examination (TNPCEE) . He organized a team of qualified, experienced and dedicated teachers from various colleges and schools.

The efficient conduct of coaching classes through meticulous planning, systematic approach etc. received overwhelming response throughout Tamil Nadu. The IIPE has today a number of Business Associate centres all over the State to cater to the needs of students from rural and semi-urban areas. Study materials, rich in content and exhaustive in coverage, based on modern teaching methodologies brought out by the institute for the TNPCEE, AIEEE, PMPD programmes, have earned overall appreciation from teachers, students and parents alike.

The IIPE has to its credit several toppers at the state level in the TNPCEE since 1993. The brain behind this spectacular success is none other than prof. Dr. V.P. Ramamurthi, a distinguished academician and director of the institute who has conceived, promoted and nurtured the same, since its inception.

The IIPE today has carved a niche for itself, in private academic circle as an institute reputed for Quality and Excellence.

The Dhanalakshmi Educational Trust (promoting body) was established and registered in 1998 as an Educational Trust with the Registrar of Societies, Tamil Nadu, to promote engineering, scientific and managerial talent of the society by starting educational and vocational training institutions. Dhanalakshmi College of Engineering was promoted by the trust from the date of its inception.