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Vellore Institute of Technology University (formerly Vellore Institute of Technology till 2006, and Vellore Engineering College before that), or popularly known as VITU, located in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India is one of the foremost private educational institutions in India. Mr. G. Viswanathan founded this institution in 1984 and is currently its chancellor. VIT was affiliated to the University of Madras until 2000. In September 2006, it was renamed as VIT University.

The institution was founded in 1984 as Vellore Engineering College by Mr. G. Viswanathan, a former Member of Parliament and Minister in the Government of Tamil Nadu. The college was then affiliated to the University of Madras and functioned as a private self-financing institution. It was promoted by the North Arcot Educational and Charitable Trust. In 2001, the institute was awarded the deemed university status in recognition of its academic excellence by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India and hence the name was changed to Vellore Institute of Technology. In September 2006, it was made a full University with option to grant degrees to students of other colleges.

The main administrative block.

VIT is considered one of the best and most prestigious private universities in Tamil Nadu and India as a whole. The university has been able to hold on to and improve this reputation over the years by providing best quality of education and most importantly, by providing a cosmopolitan atmosphere for its students. The institute was in the news recently, following its accreditation by the famed IEE, hence becoming the first Indian university to achieve this honour. In spite of all these, the biggest chunk of VIT's success story is shared by most of the hundreds of thousands of students who have graduated out of the institute who have been placed in leading firms around the country. It is this student population that carries on VIT's eduring legacy.

Some of the notable recognitions achieved by the institution include

• Obtained accreditation from the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), London, for seven Bachelor's and sixteen Master's degree programs.
• Awarded the deemed university status by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India.
• First educational institution in India to be awarded the ISO 9002 certificate for three years by the Det Norske Veritas (DNV) of the Netherlands.
• First educational institution to obtain A grades for MBA, MCA and all the courses it has applied for by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, an autonomous institution under the University Grants Commission.
• First private engineering college in India, to obtain the highest possible accreditation grades from the National Board of Accreditation.
• Has several national and international MoU’s signed with reputed institutions and universities like the Hochschule fur Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden (FH), University of Applied Sciences, Germany, Consortium of Canadian Educational Institutions for Asia (CCEIFA)., etc.
• Organises a unique and superb cultural extravaganza called 'RIVIERA' in January every year, that has colleges and universities from all over India taking part, besides guest performances by leading music bands and personalities.

VIT has recently acquired University status under the section 3 of the UGC Act 1956.