The non-agricultural universities were entrusted with the responsibility of agricultural education and the State Department of Agriculture contributed to research and extension upto few years of independence.  The agricultural universities were established from 1960 as per the recommendations of Radhakrishnan Commission (1948).

Initially, the Maharashtra Agricultural University (Krishi Vidyapeeth) was established for the Maharashtra State and started functioning from 29^th March, 1968 with its office in Bombay (Mumbai).  The office was shifted in the year 1969 to College of Agriculture, Pune which offered the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Agriculture.  The various aspects related to agricultural engineering were the part of course curricula in the disciplines of agricultural sciences such as Agronomy, Soil Science, Dairy Sciences, etc.  In India, the need for separate course in Agricultural Engineering was started to offer the postgraduate course in Agricultural Engineering (M. Sc in Agriculture with specialization in Agricultural Engineering) at Allahabad.

Subsequently, Maharashtra Agricultural University was renamed after the great social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule as Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri in 1969 for the Western Maharashtra. The present jurisdiction of this University is spread over ten districts namely, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Pune, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon and Nandurbar. 

On realization of need of Agricultural Engineering for effective implementation of development programme in Agriculture such as popularization of improved farm implements, mechanization in agriculture, food process engineering, irrigation water management and drainage, soil and water conservation, etc., the Government of Maharashtra established the College of Agricultural Engineering as one of the constituent colleges of Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar in 1969 at Pune Campus.  The college was subsequently shifted to the Central Campus of the University at Rahuri in 1972 which is 160 km from Pune. In the year 1996, it was named after the former Union Minister of State for Agriculture and architect of green revolution in India, Late Dr. Annasaheb Shinde, as Dr. Annasaheb Shinde College of Agricultural Engineering and in 2013; it was changed as Dr.Annasaheb Shinde College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Rahuri.