Vellore Institute of Technology

History

VIT was established under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, and was founded in 1984 by G. Viswanathan as a self-financing institution called the Vellore Engineering College. In 2001, It became a deemed university. In September 2006, it was renamed to VIT University. What truly sets VIT apart is its student-centric approach. It was among the first in India to introduce the Fully Flexible Credit System (FFCS), allowing students to choose their courses, faculty, and class schedules. This flexibility, combined with a strong research ecosystem and global partnerships, has helped VIT consistently rank among the top private universities in India and gain recognition in QS and Times Higher Education global rankings.

Academics and research

Programs Offered:

70+ undergraduate, 50+ postgraduate, and 10+ integrated programs. Fields include engineering, science, business, law, design, and humanities.

Fully Flexible Credit System (FFCS):

Students can choose their own courses, faculty, and class timings. Encourages personalized learning paths and interdisciplinary exploration.

Schools of Study:

Organized into 15+ specialized schools like SCOPE (Computer Science), SMEC (Mechanical), SBST (Biosciences), and VITBS (Business School). Each school has its own labs, faculty, and research centers.

Advanced Research Centers:

10+ specialized centers including the Centre for Nanotechnology Research, Automotive Research Centre, and Bio-Medical Research Centre.

Robust Funding & Projects:

₹100+ crore in funding from ISRO, DST, DRDO, and international bodies. 50+ ongoing research projects across engineering, biosciences, and clean energy.

Student Chapters:

VIT hosts a wide variety of student chapters. These include technical chapters like IEEE, ACM, and ASME; international societies such as AIESEC, SAE International, and IEEE WIE; and research-oriented groups like CSED, CompBio Cell, and BRSI—each fostering learning, leadership, and innovation across domains.

Student Teams:

VIT features a diverse range of student teams, including SAE teams, robotics and tech groups, aero and space innovation squads, and hackathon and coding collectives—each offering hands-on experience and a platform for national and international competitions.

Rankings

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Internationally, VIT was ranked 691 in the QS World University Rankings of 2026. VIT was ranked 791-800 in the QS World University Rankings of 2025 and 150 in Asia. It was ranked 801–1000 in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2023, 251–300 in Asia in 2022 and 301–350 among emerging economies. It was ranked 601–700 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities of 2022.

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.

VIT was ranked first among private engineering colleges in India by Outlook India in 2022. 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.
• It is preparing for the third round of accreditation by the NBA.
• It is accredited by the International accrediting agency ABET.
• ACBSP has accredited the VIT Business School.
• ACCA has accredited the BBA program.

Cultural and sports festivals

Riviera – VIT Vellore

Riviera is the flagship international sports and cultural festival of VIT Vellore, held annually in February. Spanning four days, Riviera in 2025 featured over 45,000 students from 80 universities and colleges representing 26 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. The festival features a vibrant mix of sports tournaments, cultural competitions, pro-shows, and social awareness events. The Riviera festival, has achieved both ISO certification and a Guinness World Record.

Vibrance – VIT Chennai

Vibrance is a cultural and sports festival of VIT Chennai, typically held in late February or early March. This four-day extravaganza brings together over 22,000 students, including international participants, for a celebration of art, music, dance, and athleticism. With themes that evolve each year, Vibrance is known for its dynamic energy, student-led organization, and inclusive spirit.

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. 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". 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. 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."

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. The event poster was later redesigned.

Notable alumni

• Soumith Chintala, lead creator and maintainer of PyTorch, a software framework for deep learning in artificial intelligence
• Atulya Kaushik, co-founder and CEO, PrepInsta Prime
• Papias Malimba Musafiri, Rwandan Minister of Education
• Bindu Madhavi
• Anand Prakash, Indian ethical hacker
• Kaveri Priyam
• Poornima Ravi, Actress and YouTuber
• Indhuja Ravichandran, a Model and Actress
• Dhyan Sreenivasan
• Shubhangi Swaroop, first female pilot in Indian Navy

References

References

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13. "Advanced Research Centers".
14. "Robust Funding & Projects".
15. "Student Chapters".
16. "Student Teams".
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33. (29 February 2024). "Run for Gender Equality Proves the Opposite". Substack.
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39. Sathyendran, Nita (16 September 2015) "[https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/actor-dhyan-sreenivasan-on-his-tryst-with-mollywood/article7659299.ece Chip off the old block]", ''The Hindu''. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
40. "[https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/270118/illustrious-alumni-of-vellore-institute-of-technology-felicitated.html Illustrious alumni of Vellore Institute of Technology felicitated]" (27 January 2018), ''Deccan Chronicle''. Retrieved 24 September 2020.