Vels University Chennai's Review & Verdict by CollegeDekho

Campus at a Glimpse

Within a plush green 29.13 acres state-of-the-art campus, Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies provides students with the much-needed resources and education in discilpines like maritime studies, agriculture, engineering, law, management, commerce, and ocean engineering. Vels University, also known as VISTAS Chennai, laid its foundation stone in 1992. Accredited with an ‘A’ grade from NAAC, the deemed-to-be-university is recognised by UGC and approved by AICTE.

One of its recent developments worth mentioning is 'The National Innovation and Startup Policy'. Through this campaign, Vels University Chennai aims to establish itself as an ‘Advancement Center’ and develop a dynamic start-up biological system by 2025. If all goes well, Vels University Chennai will have a whole new identity.

Course-wise, the university offers a total of 166 courses at the undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and diploma levels. With a total of 705 faculty members offering education to 13746 students in 342 classrooms, the teacher-student ratio stands favourable!

Irrespective of what shines out in the world, Vels University Chennai has its own room of inconsistencies. Even though a few areas are undergoing improvement, some of the other aspects like placement and administration need all-round development.

Vels University Chennai Ranking

Where does Vels University Chennai stand in terms of ranking? Here are the ranks allotted by NIRF after evaluation based on parameters like teaching, learning & resources, research and professional practice, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity, and peer perception.

NIRF Ranking: From Good to Average!

Our Take:

Given the NIRF ranking parameters and the data available, Vels University Chennai has not performed well in comparison with other universities. The university has moved down places in the ‘Pharmacy’ category in 2023, not to mention the declining growth graph! In categories like university and engineering, the growth is anchored!

Vels University Chennai Academia & Batch Size

With a semester-based approach and Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, Vels University Chennai has allowed students multi-point entry and the liberty to choose their suitable courses, with 14 specializations in B.E and 4 in M.E. The Vels University Chennai courses are AICTE approved. It has also received approval from the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), the Bar Council of India (BCI), and the Director General of Shipping (DGS). With 39  international students enrolled in undergraduate courses and 4 in PG as per the NIRF 2023 report, the university is investing more in international tie-ups for global recognition.

Fee-wise, the numbers are very high, given the quality of teaching and placement opportunities. The fee per semester for engineering courses ranges between INR 48,000 and INR 1,39,000, which brings to an average total fee of INR 1,69,777 per year. Considered one of the top courses, the total fee for the B.Tech CSE course is INR 11,12,000. Do we think the fee is reasonable? Yes, given that engineering course fee is usually very high in many other Universtities & colleges. Vels' course fee is not that high but the placement scenario is also not that good.

Here is a glimpse of the fee structure for some of the top Vels University Chennai courses:

Offering such diverse and rare course options like BCA Data Science and Cloud Technology, Vels University Chennai has also received criticism regarding certain courses. Students are not happy with the MCA and MBA course curriculum. A BBA student expressed that those who wish to take admission just for degree sake can take up this course. It is better to avoid the combo of  INR 61,500 per semester in MCA or INR 41,000 per semester in BBA and flawed teaching quality at all costs.

Talking about batch size, for UG 3-year courses, the total number of students is recorded at 4045 and 1474 for PG two-year programmes. Whereas, the sanctioned intake is 1590 and 889, respectively, for the same. Over 3000 extra students were granted admission to these courses. However, students have not raised any serious concerns regarding the same. If students are fine with the batch size, there is no point griping in this regard.

Our Take:

Academia-wise, Vels University Chennai has adopted all the necessary measures to provide students with the latest education. The introduction of rare courses like BCA Cloud Technology and BCA Data Science has helped many students follow their career paths without compromising with other courses. Nonetheless, for courses like BBA, MBA, and MCA, students have not received any valuable output in terms of teaching quality.

Vels University Chennai Infrastructure

Classroom: Vels University Chennai has 342 classrooms and 20 smart classrooms. Students have complained about some classes where the benches provided are old and of low quality. Law students's classrooms are apparently good and fully air-conditioned.

Our Take:

Considering the number of courses offered, there is a need to incorporate the flipping classroom model or increase the number of smart classrooms.

Auditorium: With a total of 5 auditoriums, the Velan Arangam is the largest of all. Vels University Chennai states that the open-air auditorium has a housing capacity of 15,000 people. Shivalayaa, a fully air-conditioned auditorium, has a seating capacity of 1,500 people. Famous for hosting several Guinness record attempts, Vels University created the world record for the longest hair extension in the auditorium on 6th March 2019. Isn’t it cool?

Lecture Halls: According to its website, Vels University Chennai houses two huge lecture halls where seminars, presentations, and conferences are held. Additionally, there is 1 such lecture hall in the MBA department and 4 in the Science department.

Conference Hall: Vels University Chennai has a total of 6 air-conditioned conference halls with the latest audio-visual equipment. Infused with the latest ICT and IT facilities, the conference hall is said to be perfect for the students to take part in seminars or conference sessions with ease and comfort.

Laboratories: A total of 173 laboratories are available for the students including a ship for the ocean engineering department as per the website. The numbers are good, however, students are concerned about the quality of lab facilities provided. 

Our Take:

When delivering practical skills to the students, importance should be given to quality rather than quantity. A shift in focus towards improving the quality of lab equipment will be more beneficial than the ‘good-to-read’ numbers.

Library: There is a sense of liking towards the university library among all students. According to a Vels University alumnus, the library facilities are good. Yet, when asked about the same, an undergraduate from Vels University expressed that not having sufficient academic books written by foreign authors for serious learners is one drawback.

Internet: Vels University Chennai claims, it has 1110 Mbps high-speed internet throughout the campus. As a backup to deal with electricity downtime, the university has two generators with 400KW and 200KW capacity. However, students often complain about lags in the computer systems.

Commute: With a total of 150 buses, students from any part of the city can get access to the university. Permitting students to park their two-wheelers and four-wheelers has helped students to travel with ease. 

Hostel: Regarding hostel management, the students had a lot to say. According to a student, even after paying the fees, his name was not listed and it took around three months to allot him a room. Another student claimed that every time he went to book a hostel room, he was sent back stating ‘Technical Issue'. Also, the hostel fee charged per year is INR 51,600.

Our Take:

If we take into account what the students had to say, hostel management is not functioning properly for the students. Students prefer staying in nearby PGs where the facilities are comparatively better.

Sports/Cultural Activities: The university football team has earned a lot of appreciation in the sports tournaments and events. If the students' hush-hush is to be believed, all the praises belong to the NRI students. Also, students have voiced that only a few cultural events, one being ‘The Nakshatra’,  take place on the university campus. They further added that the university demands money for cultural events and celebrations, which are never conducted. 

Cafe/ Hang-out: Apart from sandwiches, chaats, juices, and a cup of coffee, Vels University Chennai cafeteria is also a favorite hangout place for the students. The university has a total of three cafeterias:

Other Facilities: As per the VISTAS website, a few other facilities that are available for the students are 2800 Computers and laptops, 125 Printers, 35 Overhead Projectors, 275 LCDs, 4 Health Centres, Free Clinic, and ATMs.

Vels University Chennai Internships & Placements 

Internships:

Vels University Chennai claims to offer internship opportunities to final-year students. With stipends ranging from INR 8,000 to INR 25,000 per month. Students have taken internships in multiple core and IT domain MNCs. As mentioned on the official website, Goldman Sachs, Aditya Birla, IDBI, and the United Nations are a few of the top companies hiring interns from here. 

Let’s have a look at the names of a few other companies that offer internship opportunities to Vels University students:

Placements:

As per the website, over 3,000 students take part in the VISTAS campus placement drive every year. The university even claims to have achieved a 90% placement record. However, as per the student’s verdict, hardly 10 companies have visited the campus for placement interviews. Even after graduation, the students are not guaranteed good jobs. 

A parent recalled that their son pursued both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from Vels University, and hardly attended any campus interviews. According to a 2016 pass-out, he had the opportunity to sit in campus interviews. Even though he qualified, he never received any joining letter. On the contrary, a 2021 batch pass-out had to pay INR 2,000 for placement and could not attend a single interview. It is evident that from 2016 onwards, placement at Vels University Chennai has suffered a steep downfall!

Let's glance through the Vels University Chennai placement statistics for 2022 retrieved from NIRF Report:

Engineering and Architecture | Course Duration: 4 Years

Our Take:

Even though the placement percentage is fairly decent at 81%, the medium salary offered is far too less compared to the hefty fee charged per semester.

Engineering and Architecture | Course Duration: 2 Years

Our Take:

In terms of salary package, the offers rolled out to M.Tech graduates should be better. 

Pharmacy | Course Duration: 4 Years

Our Take:

The placement percentage is very low at 18%. Considering the demand for pharmacy courses, drastic steps must be taken by the university in this aspect.

Pharmacy | Course Duration: 3 Years

Pharmacy | Course Duration: 2 Years

Our Take:

Taking into account the placement percentage and median salary of INR 4,30,000 for 3-year courses and INR 4,53,000 for 2-year courses, the statistics are fairly decent.

MBA | Course Duration: 2 Years

Our Take:

With a total fee of INR 4,94,000, the ROI is pretty decent at 40.69%. Even though the placement statistics are satisfactory, we cannot deny the fact that students are facing a lot of issues, especially attending campus interviews.

Vels University Chennai Diversity & Demographics

The total number of domicile students is far more than the number of students from outside Tamil Nadu and India. Compared to 8908 domicile state students, the percentage of students outside TN is at a negligible 0.08%. Being a co-ed institution, the male-to-female ratio is quite disturbing. Of all the students, the male percentage stands at 83%, whereas, the female percentage is only 17%. Here is a glimpse of the demographic representation and gender ratio index of the Vels University Chennai students:

Vels University Chennai: Gender Ratio Index

Our Take:

The percentage of female students is very low in both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There must be a definite reason for such a huge difference. Whether any steps are being taken or the university has turned a blind eye, is what we are questioning. However, in the case of doctoral programmes, the numbers have reached equilibrium.

Vels University Chennai: Demographic Representation

Our Take:

Many students have raised concerns about the communication barrier. Only a few HODs and faculty members speak English. Even though Vels University Chennai claims to be an English-medium institute, most of the teachers deliver the lectures in Tamil adding an English word or two in between. Is Vels University Chennai only suitable for Tamil-speaking students? We think so!

Vels University Chennai Faculty & Administration/Management 

There are a total of 705 faculty members teaching around 161 courses at Vels University Chennai. Even though the numbers are good, students from many departments are not content with their teachers. With few English-speaking HODs, the situation is more alarming for the students. 

Over and above all of this, students deal with many other issues with the management. A student from B.Tech CSE (AI & ML) commented that he had to pay multiple visits to the HoD office for two long weeks to get a signature for scholarship approval. According to a few Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering students, the HoD and department staff have not only used abusive language but also body-shamed them which has deeply pierced their self-respect. Moreover, students have also highlighted the grade inflation issue that is commonly observed in a few departments. It seems a student must take up the role of a teacher-pleaser to get good grades!

Regarding university administration, the accusations were quite a few. No steps have been taken concerning exposure for students. Once a complaint is lodged by the students, the convincing nature of management compels them to adjust till the classes are over instead of solving them. Collecting refunds or graduation certificates comes with a lot of hurdles for the students. There have been incidences where university pass-outs had to wait a full day to collect their graduation certificate. A BEd student added that during an exam they were not allowed any lunch breaks and had to wait beyond the college hours to complete the examination procedures.

Our Take:

Considering the number of accusations we received about the derogatory behaviour of the Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering Department staff and faculty, we are compelled to take up the issue. Disgracefully commenting on a student's physical appearance is not acceptable in any educational institution. Strict action must be taken in this regard. If such incidents keep on occurring within the campus, the eye-catching Vels University Chennai advertisement posters cannot cover up such issues and compel students to take admission to Vels University Chennai

Vels University Chennai Location

Located in the heart of the city, Vels University Chennai stands at Velan Nagar, P.V. Vaithiyalingam Road, Pallavaram. Pallavaram Railway Station is just a kilometre away. The distance between the university and Chennai International Airport is 2 km.

Our Take:

According to many students, approaching the university is a Herculean task due to its narrow streets. Heavy rush during college time increases the risk of mishaps. As the campus is small, unnecessary crowds disrupt the college decorum.

Vels University Chennai: Expectation Vs. Reality - CollegeDekho Verdict 

Despite the campus being small, Vels University Chennai has provided all the requisite facilities to the students in terms of infrastructure, education, and overall development. However, a quality check is needed in these areas. Fees for most of the courses have surpassed the upper-capacity limit of a middle-class household. The ‘damn-care’ attitude of the management and administration staff needs to stop, be it scholarship, exam, or a general student query. The linguistic barrier is a common hindrance that affects a student's basic right to education. This means, more English-speaking staff and HODs are required. If Vels University Chennai students recommend other universities when asked for constructive criticism,  there is a lot to improve on the university's part! 

Final Review Checkbox!