VIT University

VIT University
Vellore Institute of Technology

Vellore Institute of Technology seal
Former names
 Vellore Engineering College
Motto in English
 A place to learn; a chance to grow.
Type Private
Established 1984
Founder Dr. G. Viswanathan
Chancellor G. Viswanathan
Vice-Chancellor Dr. Anand A Samuel
Academic staff
 1,500
Students 29,000 (Vellore campus)
Undergraduates 20,000
Location Vellore (1984)
Chennai (2010), Tamil Nadu, India
Campus Urban, spread over 250 acres (1.0 km2)
Acronym VIT
Colours Blue and White
Nickname VITians
Affiliations University Grants Commission ; Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Website www.vit.ac.in

VIT University or VIT, formerly called Vellore Engineering College, is an Indian institute of higher education and a deemed university under Section 3 of the UGC Act. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, by G. Viswanathan, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore and Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Foundation stone for VIT Bhopal campus at Sehore, Madhya Pradesh was laid down by Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan (Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh) on 20 October 2016.[1][2]

History

VIT was founded as Vellore Engineering College in July 1984 by Dr. G. Viswanathan, a former parliamentarian and minister in the government of Tamil Nadu, with three undergraduate engineering courses — Civil, Mechanical, and Electronics & Communication.

The college was affiliated with Madras University. In 1999 Vellore Engineering College was awarded the ISO 9002 certificate for three years by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) of the Netherlands, making VEC the first educational institute in India to achieve this recognition. In June 2001 the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development conferred VEC as a ‘deemed university’ and the college became VIT University.

Accreditation

Recognition

Admissions

Admission in VIT University is conducted on a merit basis through an online entrance exam. VIT organises its own entrance exam, called the Vellore Institute of Technology Engineering Entrance Examination (VITEEE). It is conducted every year in the month of April and May. In 2015 over two lakh students appeared for the entrance examination. The exam has been conducted online since 2013.[7]VITEEE 2017 application form begins from 9th November 2016.

Admissions to postgraduate courses is done through the separate VITMEE test held in the first week of June every year.

Academics

VIT offers academic programs in Engineering, Technology, Applied Sciences, and Management. It offers 20 undergraduate programs, 34 postgraduate, four integrated MS courses, and four doctoral programs. VIT consolidated its disciplines into 10 Schools of Study with the addition of the VIT Law School at its Chennai campus.[8]

Research centers are part of the schools to encourage collaboration between the research and coursework areas and provide opportunity for coursework students to participate in research projects. The university organizes industrial workshops like Automotive Engineering, organized by ParaMek Technologies in GraVitas Fest.[9]

The university is among the first in India to implement the Fully Flexible Credit System (FFCS) which gives the students flexibility to make their own time tables by choosing the subjects and the faculties under whose guidance they want to study.[10]

The institute follows a credit system for evaluating academic performance. The grade point average (GPA) is on a scale of 0 to 10. Courses are allotted credits according to their importance. Each academic year is divided into two semesters, and teaching programmes are organized around the credit system. Teaching includes lectures, tutorials, practicals, projects, seminars, dissertations, and field and industrial training. The grades are allotted on the basis of relative technique where class average and standard deviation is taken into account to ensure fair grades for students regardless of different marks evaluators.

The CGPA is not the same as the American one. In India some credits might be awarded during Bachelor studies for co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, while during the Master programme this is not allowed.

Rankings

University and college rankings
Engineering – India
NIRF[11][12] 13
Business – India

VIT has been ranked No. 1 private university and 13th overall best university ahead of many IITs and NITs in India, by National Institutional Ranking Framework published by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India in April 2016. It has been ranked 4th best engineering college in India by the renowned IndiaToday Nielsen Survey 2016. It has been constantly ranked in the Top 10 Engineering colleges in India for the past several years by renowned rankings which include India Today Group, The Week, Hindustan Times, Career 360 and many more. VIT should get a place in the QS World University Rankings in the years to come.

Schools

Teaching at VIT is structured around nine schools listed below. Students are registered in one of these schools according to their field of study.[13]

Research

VIT's research strength spans disciplines like CAD/CAM, Rapid Prototyping, Manufacturing, Product Design, Energy, Biomedical Research, Information Technology, Nanotechnology, Optoelectronics, and Materials Engineering.

The research output of many educational institutions is steadily growing — as indicated in a report of Scopus, an abstracting and indexing database that includes over 19,000 titles from more than 5,000 international publishers. While IIT-Madras, Chennai tops the list of institutions in the state with the highest number of research papers indexed by the database, VIT University is a close 2nd. On the nationwide level VIT University is ranked 4th, placing it ahead of IIT Delhi and Bombay, with Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore ranked first. [14]

Campuses

Vellore Campus

The university's main campus in Vellore is on 250 acres of land.[15] It is divided by the Chennai–Bangalore railway line. The academic portion of the campus and the women's hostels are to the south of the railway tracks while the northern portion houses the men's hostels and the outdoor stadium. The parts are connected by three subways.

The campus resembles a city, with lake, gardens, lawns, residential complexes, food courts, hair salons and wide roads. The campus has its own water supply and backup electricity supply along with shopping complexes to cater to the needs of residents.[16]

Location

VIT is in the city of Vellore in India's southern state, Tamil Nadu, between Chennai and Bangalore. It is 130 km west of Chennai and 180 km east of Bangalore. The nearest airport is Chennai (two and half hours drive). Vellore-Katpadi Junction is the nearest railway station, 3 km from campus and accessible by train and road from Chennai and Bengaluru. It is 5 km from the Andhra Pradesh border and approximately 33 km from Chittoor.[17]

Hostels

The men's hostel strength is about 15000. The hostel area includes an outdoor stadium, a swimming pool, basketball courts, badminton courts, squash courts, tennis courts and an indoor stadium, where students can play table tennis and badminton. 18 hostels are on VIT campus. There are 15 men's hostels, which accommodate students in single-, two- and three-, four- and six-bedded rooms. AC and non-AC rooms are available in all categories allotted on the basis of merit.

The six women's hostels have room for 3200 students. Women students have access to gym facilities, swimming pool and a salon inside one of these hostel premises.

The hostels are named after pioneers in science, literature and peace.

College festivals

Two main college fests are conducted in VIT: graVITas and Riviera.

GRAVITAS is a techfest (technology oriented festival) conducted in August/September.

Riviera is a sports and cultural festival. According to organizers for Riviera 2011, it pulled more than 300 participants from over 20 colleges and universities. Rivera 2013 saw popular names like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Sukhwinder Singh, Chiyaan Vikram, Sidarth, singer Kartik and many more. ParaMek Technologies from New Delhi conducted a workshop on Automotive Engineering during the fest which was attended by more than 450 students.[18]

Riviera 2015 (February 6–9) included the Swachh Bharat Marathon and a multi-cultural parade called Aikya.[19] The performances by Bollywood playback singers Mohit Chauhan, Vasundhara Das, Benny Dayal, Suresh Peters , Sunidhi Chauvan and the popular fusion rock band Indian Ocean[19] were attended by more than 20000 internal and external students.

MTV VJ Bani J also had an interaction with the students during VIT's Comic Con. The chief guests for the inaugural and valedictory ceremonies were ace Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth[20] and Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor respectively.[21]

Chennai campus

The Chennai campus is on the Vandalur-Kelambakkam road. It is known for its greenery and is called the Green Campus which spreads over 180 acres. It has an open-air amphitheater. It has a library, ATM facilities, and food spots as Gazebo, Nescafe Point and others.

Chennai Campus

University sporting facilities include an athletic track, basketball courts, badminton court, tennis courts and a football ground. The campus is WiFi enabled. There is a music room and a dance room to encourage students to form dance groups and create music.

Location

The campus is midway between Vandalur Zoo and Kelambakkam in South Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is 30 km from Chennai International Airport and 42 km from Chennai Central Junction. It is accessible by Metro train and deluxe buses from Chennai Airport and Central Railway Junction. The nearest suburban railway station is Vandalur Zoo, which is 9 km from the campus. The campus can be reached by MTC buses from Tambaram bound for Tiruporur. From Vandalur Zoo, van services are available.

Amaravati campus

VIT will be the first university to set up a campus in Amaravati, the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh.[22] The new state private university will be called VIT-AP. VIT-AP has been allotted a 200-acre land parcel (in two phases), with the university paying Rs.50 Crores towards the purchase of the first 100 acres.[23] Construction of the first academic and hostel buildings will commence in November 2016, with classes scheduled to commence in July 2017. The campus will offer five B.Tech programmes and a five-year M.Tech (Software Engineering) programme for students who have completed their 12th standard.[24] Apart from these, research programmes including Ph.D. will be offered.

Bhopal Campus

Foundation stone for VIT Bhopal campus at Sehore, Madhya Pradesh was laid down by Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan (Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh) on 20 October 2016. Bhopal campus to be spread over an area of 100 acres with an investment of 500 Crores.[1][2]

Gender discrimination

Gender discrimination has been a common issue raised in universities across India.[25] Some students have complained that VIT University has much more restrictive hostel rules for female students compared to their male counterparts and regard this as evidence of gender discrimination in VIT. University officials, however, maintain that stricter female hostel rules are a necessary safety precaution given the rise in crimes against women.[26][27] University officials have stated that, while they agree that men and women must be treated equally, they have at times been faced by irate parents who have insisted on stricter codes of conduct. Measured steps are being taken to ensure that both genders are treated equally thus allowing all students equal opportunities to access the university resources.

In October 2013, two female students were suspended after they helped to organize an online opinion survey of female VIT students, focusing on issues of safety and inequality.[28][29] Dr. Theodore Moallem, a VIT professor who supported the students and filed a public petition in their defense,[30] was simultaneously fired.[31][32]

Less than 10% of the students living in VIT's female hostel took part in the survey, only after knowing that their identity would not be revealed. Of those who did participate, roughly 84% of respondents indicated that they were dissuaded "from speaking out publicly against VIT’s management decisions" by "fear of expulsion, suspension or other academic devastation".[28][29][33] Commenting on the issue, VIT University vice president Sekar Viswanathan said: “The students started a campaign based on the misplaced notion that the university discriminates against women, which is not true. They were taken home by their parents”.[34]

References

  1. 1 2 "Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan opens VIT Bhopal University in Sehore district". Times of India. 21 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 "VIT to set up its campus near Bhopal; MP CM to lay foundation". Business Standard. 17 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 "U.S. Embassy Chief, handing over the ABET certificate to G. Viswanathan, Chancellor of VIT University, Vellore". The Hindu. 30 November 2009.
  4. ↑ "Accredited Programs VIT University, Vellore, India". ABET.
  5. ↑ "VIT University - Accreditation". Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  6. ↑ "ABET accreditation for two more programmes at VIT university, Vellore". The Hindu. 23 February 2012.
  7. ↑ "VIT opts for computer-based entrance exam for B.Tech". Chennai,India: "The Hindu". 11 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "VIT's Law School Launched".
  9. ↑ "VIT University - Degrees offered". Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  10. ↑ Zafar, Shahila; Manjurekar, B.; Kumar, N. Prem; Khan, Zaved Ahmed (2014-01-01). "Effects of FFCS (Fully Flexible Credit System) on Learning Experience and Academic Performance". Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 143. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.347.
  11. ↑ "National Institutional Ranking Framework 2016". Ministry of Human Resource Development. 2016.
  12. ↑ "HRD Ministry announces universities ranking, IIT Madras and IIM Bangalore top the list".
  13. ↑ http://www.vit.ac.in/academics/schools
  14. ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/features/education/iitm-vit-top-list-of-univs-with-high-research-output/article4627827.ece
  15. ↑ "Infrastructure". VIT University. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  16. ↑ VIT University Vellore reviews
  17. ↑ http://vit.ac.in/informationfor/location.asp
  18. ↑ "VIT University-Campus life". Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  19. 1 2 "Focus on social, cultural issues at VIT's Riviera". The Hindu. 2015-02-07. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  20. ↑ "VIT's Riviera 2015 takes off". The Hindu. 2015-02-06. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  21. ↑ "Curtains down on VIT Riviera". The Hindu. 2015-02-09. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  22. ↑ "VIT, first university to set foot in Amaravati". Telugu360. 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
  23. ↑ "http://www.telugutimes.net/detailsnews/?id=15923". www.telugutimes.net. Retrieved 2016-11-02. External link in |title= (help)
  24. ↑ "http://www.vit.ac.in/ap". VIT University. Retrieved 2016-11-01. External link in |title= (help)
  25. ↑ , "On India’s Campuses, Female Students Speak Out About ‘Deep Rooted’ Gender Discrimination", Chronicle of Higher Education, 22 April 2013.
  26. ↑ , “Rapes in Tamil Nadu on the rise over last 3 years,” The Hindu, 20 July 2014.
  27. ↑ , “When It Comes to College Rules, It's All Down to Safety” The Hindu, 6 June 2013.
  28. 1 2 ,“Two VIT Students Sent Home for Dissent” The Hindu, 11 October 2013.
  29. 1 2 ,“Kept Away from Commotion” The Hindu, 11 October 2013.
  30. ↑ “Petitioning G. Viswanathan VIT University: Give Women Equal Rights and Stop Suppressing Free Speech” Change.org October 2013.
  31. ↑ Sankar, Nanditha (25 October 2013). "[UPDATE] VIT University Refuses To Act Even While Thousands Register Their Protest!". Youth Ki Awaaz.
  32. ↑ , “VIT: A Case Of Blatant Gender Discrimination At A Top Indian Engineering School” International Business Times, 9 November 2013.
  33. ↑ , VIT Female Student Survey Results
  34. ↑ BP Staff (27 October 2013). "VIT University Professor removed after starting Online Petition?". Biharprabha News. Bihar, India.
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