The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has placed the KIIT University in the list of Category ‘A’ Deemed Universities on the basis of the high-level Tandon Committee’s recommendations.
The KIIT had a modest beginning in 1992 as an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) functioning from a rented building. However, 1997 is taken as its base year when BTech, MCA and MBA courses were started. Within five years of its inception, in 2002, KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta applied to the MHRD and UGC for recognition of the institute as a Deemed University.
In 2004, the KIIT was declared as a Deemed University under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956. It, thus, became the youngest institution to be declared a Deemed University, creating much sensation among the academic community in the country.
The MHRD constituted the Tandon Committee in 2009 to review all the Deemed Universities, Government as well as self-financing, on the basis of nine parameters such as infrastructure, teaching quality, management system, admission, research and publication.
After a rigorous assessment process, the committee categorised a total of 126 Deemed Universities into ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ categories. At that time, the KIIT, along with 43 others including many reputed and old Deemed Universities, was placed in Category ‘B’.
It was a commendable achievement considering the fact that the KIIT was still in its institutional infancy, being only in the fifth year. Further, the committee gave the Category ‘B’ Deemed Universities three to four years time to improve their standing.
The KIIT took urgent steps to strengthen research, publication, projects, academic quality, etc which would enable it to join the league of top universities of the country. In 2013, a high-level team from the KIIT University made a presentation before the Tandon Committee. After a stringent assessment on various quality parameters, the committee upgraded the KIIT to Category ‘A’ in its recommendations. Till date, only some Category ‘B’ Deemed Universities, both Government and self-financing, have been upgraded to Category ‘A’, KIIT being one among them. On the basis of the committee’s recommendation, the MHRD published a notification to this effect on March 4, 2014.
The KIIT has secured its place as a stable and reputed institution for all time to come.