Vellore Institute of Technology or VIT is a private deemed university[1][2] in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.

Vellore Institute of Technology
Seal of Vellore Institute of Technology
Other name
VIT University
Former names
Vellore Engineering College
Motto"A Place to Learn, A Chance to Grow"
TypePrivate Deemed University
Established1984; 40 years ago (1984)
FounderG. Viswanathan
ChancellorG. Viswanathan
Vice-ChancellorDr. V. S. Kanchana Bhaaskaran
Students8,20,000+ (All VIT Campuses)
Location, ,
12°58′09″N 79°09′21″E / 12.969193°N 79.155968°E / 12.969193; 79.155968
CampusUrban, 372 acres (151 ha)
Colors    Blue and White
NicknameVITians
AffiliationsUGC
Websitewww.vit.ac.in
Technology Tower building.
Periyar Central Library.

The institution offers 66 Undergraduate, 58 Postgraduate, 15 Integrated, 2 Research and 2 M.Tech. Industrial Programmes.[3] It has campuses in Vellore and Chennai and three sister universities as distinct state private universities in Amaravati,[4] Bhopal,[5] Bengaluru[6] in India and an international campus in Mauritius.[7]

History

VIT was founded in 1984 as Vellore Engineering College, as a self-financing engineering college under Anna University by its founder G. Viswanathan.[8] In 2001, It became Deemed university.[9]

Administration and Organization

The university has board of management, academic council and Finance committee. G. Viswanathan is the founder-chancellor of VIT and all its sister universities.[10] The campus spans over 372 acres.[11]

Academics and research

VIT's academic disciplines is divided into 20 Schools of Study in its Vellore and Chennai campus.[12][13]

VIT implements the Fully Flexible Credit System (FFCS) which gives the students the freedom to choose and make their own timetables by choosing the subjects and faculties for the next semester.

33 Professors of VIT are among the top 2% of scientists in the world, as shown in a survey conducted by Stanford University, USA in 2021.[14]

Rankings

University and Institute rankings
General – international
ARWU (2022)[15]601–700
QS (World) (2023)[16]851–900
QS (Asia) (2023)[17]173
Times (World) (2023)[18]801–1000
Times (Asia) (2022)[19]251–300
Times (Emerging) (2022)[20]301–350
General – India
NIRF (Overall) (2024)[21]19
NIRF (Research) (2024)[22]13
NIRF (Universities) (2024)[23]10
Engineering – India
NIRF (2024)[24]11
Private colleges: 
Outlook India (2022)[25]1


Internationally, VIT was ranked 1001–1200 in the QS World University Rankings of 2023[16] and 173 in Asia.[17] It was ranked 801–1000 in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2023,[18] 251–300 in Asia in 2022[19] and 301–350 among emerging economies.[20] It was ranked 601–700 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities of 2022.[15]

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) by the MoE ranked VIT 19th overall in India in 2024, 10th among universities and 11th among Engineering institutes.[26]

VIT was ranked first among private engineering colleges in India by Outlook India in 2022.[25] India Today ranked it 20 among engineering colleges in 2020.

Accreditation

VIT has been accredited with the following:

  • A++ grade by NAAC, it has completed 4 cycles of accreditation and is going for the 5th cycle.[27]
  • It is preparing for the third round of accreditation by the NBA.[28]
  • It is accredited by the International accrediting agency ABET.[29][30][31]
  • ACBSP has accredited the VIT Business School.[32]
  • ACCA has accredited the BBA program.[33]

Culture and Fests

Campus Cultural & Sports Technical
Vellore Riviera GraVITas
Chennai Vibrance technoVIT
Bhopal Aarambh AdVITya
Andhra Pradesh Vitopia VTAPP

Controversies

In October 2013, two female students were suspended after they helped organize an online opinion survey of female VIT students, focusing on issues of safety and inequality.[34] Commenting on the issue, VIT vice president Sekar Viswanathan said: "The students started a campaign based on the misplaced notion that the university discriminates against women, which is false. They were taken home by their parents".[34] An American professor who was working at the institute at the time was reportedly fired for supporting the two dismissed students via a Change.org petition. [35] Reports citing students, rules require male and female students at VIT to live in strictly segregated facilities, in addition to imposing restrictions upon the women that the men are not burdened by." [35]

In March 2024, VIT organized an athletic event to promote gender equality. However, there was a social media outrage because the college initially asked men to run 10 kilometers and women to run 5 kilometers. [36] The event poster was later redesigned.

In July 2022, the Madhya Pradesh government initiated an inquiry into Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Sehore after allegations that the institute fined students for reciting the Hanuman Chalisa in their hostel. The students reportedly recited the prayer to protest poor amenities in the hostel, but complaints from security staff and noise concerns led to fines for seven students. MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra condemned the fines, ordering that they be revoked and instructing the Sehore collector to investigate. The incident sparked political reactions, with BJP legislator Rameshwar Sharma threatening further protests if the fines were not withdrawn. [37][38] [39]

In November 2024, The Madhya Pradesh government has launched an investigation into disciplinary actions taken by VIT-Bhopal after complaints from ABVP, which alleged unjust punishments for students involved in a social media controversy. A probe committee will review allegations related to the disciplinary measures, course and fee structures, and other campus issues. VIT-Bhopal has defended its actions, asserting the right to manage internal affairs and criticizing external interference. Academic experts have questioned the commission’s characterization of VIT as "dictatorial" prior to completing the investigation. [40]

The social media controversy at VIT-Bhopal began with rumors of a viral video purportedly showing female students bathing in a hostel. Although the existence of such a video was unconfirmed, these rumors spread among students, leading to unrest on campus. Some students were disciplined by the university, which allegedly included suspensions lasting from six months to a year. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organization, claimed that VIT penalized the students without a proper investigation and demanded further inquiries into the university’s handling of course-related matters, fee structure, and other campus issues. [41]

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ "Deemed University Tamil Nadu". University Grants Commission (India). Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  2. ^ "MoE, National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF)". www.nirfindia.org. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  3. ^ University, V. I. T. "Admission". Admission| VIT. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Welcome to UGC, New Delhi, India". www.ugc.gov.in. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Welcome to UGC, New Delhi, India". www.ugc.gov.in. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  6. ^ "About VIT-Bangalore". Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  7. ^ "VIT Mauritius". Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  8. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (19 February 2024). "Centre, State should allocate more funds for education, health: VIT founder-chancellor". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 May 2024. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ Technology, Vellore Institute of. "About Vit". About Vit | VIT. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  10. ^ AdminVit (24 June 2020). "Governance | VIT". governance | VIT. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  11. ^ Contentuser (1 November 2018). "Infrastructure". Infrastructure | VIT. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  12. ^ "VIT's Law School Launched". Archived from the original on 22 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Life at VIT Chennai | VITEEE 2020 | Vellore Institute of Technology | Life at VIT - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  14. ^ "VIT University". Times Higher Education (THE). 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  15. ^ a b "2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities". Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. 2022.
  16. ^ a b "QS World University Rankings 2023". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. 8 June 2022.
  17. ^ a b "QS Asia University Rankings 2023". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. 8 November 2022.
  18. ^ a b "World University Rankings 2023". Times Higher Education. 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Asia University Rankings 2022". Times Higher Education. 2022.
  20. ^ a b "Emerging Economies University Rankings 2022". Times Higher Education. 2022.
  21. ^ "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2024 (Overall)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 12 August 2024.
  22. ^ "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2024 (Research)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 12 August 2024.
  23. ^ "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2024 (Universities)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 12 August 2024.
  24. ^ "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2024 (Engineering)". National Institutional Ranking Framework. Ministry of Education. 12 August 2024.
  25. ^ a b Outlook-ICARE Rankings 2022:
  26. ^ "NIRF 2024" (PDF).
  27. ^ "University".
  28. ^ "National Board of Accreditation". www.nbaind.org.
  29. ^ Krishnamoorthy, R. (14 December 2010). "Why private universities go for international accreditation". The Hindu.
  30. ^ "VIT programmes gets ABET accreditation". 16 May 2012.
  31. ^ "VIT programmes gets ABET accreditation". 23 February 2012.
  32. ^ "VIT Business School Accredited with ACBSP Global Business Accreditation - Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs".
  33. ^ "University Partnerships in India | ACCA Global".
  34. ^ a b Venugopal, Vasudha (11 October 2013). "Two VIT students sent home for dissent". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  35. ^ a b Ghosh, Palash (9 November 2013). "VIT: A Case Of Blatant Gender Discrimination At A Top Indian Engineering School". International Business Times. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  36. ^ Macpherson, James. "Run for Gender Equality Proves the Opposite". The James Macpherson Report. Substack. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  37. ^ "Students fined for reciting Hanuman Chalisa, MP govt intervenes". The Times of India. 9 July 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  38. ^ "MP Govt orders probe after VIT Bhopal imposes fine on students for reciting Hanuman Chalisa in hostel". Careers360. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  39. ^ "VIT imposes fine on students for reciting Hanuman Chalisa, MP govt orders probe". www.newsbharati.com. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  40. ^ "MP govt orders probe into VIT row after ABVP complaint". The Times of India. 8 November 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  41. ^ "MP govt orders probe into VIT row after ABVP complaint". The Times of India. 8 November 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  42. ^ Chintala, Soumith. "Soumith on LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  43. ^ "VIT alumnus secures All India 5th rank in UPSC civil services examinations"
  44. ^ Chintapali, Rohit. "Democratising Learning". BW Businessworld. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  45. ^ "Musafiri appointed as new Education minister". The New Times. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  46. ^ Rao, Subha J. (22 September 2014). "What's in a name? Quite a lot!". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  47. ^ "Hackers for good: How Anand Prakash rescued Facebook". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  48. ^ Sathyendran, Nita (16 September 2015) "Chip off the old block", The Hindu. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  49. ^ "Illustrious alumni of Vellore Institute of Technology felicitated" (27 January 2018), Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 24 September 2020.

Bibliography