Athlone Institute of Technology (also known as AIT) (Irish: Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Luain) is a higher education institution in the midlands of Ireland. The institution was established in 1970 as Athlone Regional Technical College. The college operated under the management of County Westmeath Vocational Education Committee (VEC) from its establishment until 1993, when legislative changes established it as a self-governing entity. Five years later it underwent a name change by statutory order to Athlone Institute of Technology. The Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) granted the institute delegated authority in 2004 to develop, design, and validate its own courses, to conduct examinations, and to confer its own academic awards up to and including Level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).