Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science,Tamil Nadu

The Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Coimbatore, is a major educational centre of the well-known Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, Howrah, West Bengal. Located at about 19 kms from the Coimbatore city on the highway to Ooty, the Vidyalaya is situated in a serene environment spread over nearly 300 acres.

The institution was founded by Dr. T S Avinashilingam in 1930, with an investment of Rs. 5.75 and one harijan boy on its roll. Indeed, a small beginning for his great achievement that stands materialized today as a vast educational and spiritual centre with around twenty wings. But then, there was a source for his inspiration to set out on that bold venture. While studying in college, Dr. T S Avinashilingam met Swami Shivananda, a direct disciple of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna whose another well-known disciple was Swami Vivekananda. It was from Swami Vivekananda that Swami Shivananda absorbed the idea of the prime importance of education for the revival of India. The ‘sacred touch’ of Swami Shivananda, as Dr. Avinashilingam later described it, awoke in him the necessary strength and vision for his future mission in the field of education. Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, laid the foundation stone of the Vidyalaya in 1934 and wished that the students of the Vidyalaya would be intensely patriotic followers of Truth. The Vidyalaya was affiliated to the Ramakrishna Mission in the same year.

The Vidyalaya strives to infuse the educational and spiritual ideas of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda into the daily lives of its students. Swami Vivekananda emphasized ‘man-making education’ and hence a lot of importance is given for the all-round growth, enrichment and personality development of the students. Universal values such as self-reliance, self-control, patriotism, service and dedication to duty are taught in various practical ways. A band of monks and brahmacharis of the Ramakrishna Order manage the activities of the Vidyalaya assisted by a highly professional and dedicated team of teaching and non-teaching staff.

The most important cultural activity of the Vidyalaya every year is the public celebration of the birthday of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna, popularly known as the Guru Puja. The day-long celebration includes bhajans, talks by eminent personalities, drama, educational exhibition, music and cultural programmes. The highlight of the function is the Maheswara Puja, i.e. feeding of around 35,000 people at noon.

Besides the regular curriculum, every academic year passes by with a host of festivities that are unique to the Vidyalaya. For instance, about 3000 students from around 50 primary schools take part and perform physical, yogic and calisthenic exercises to the rhythm of devotional and nationalistic songs during the annual Play Festival. Unified Play Day is another significant event in which special and normal children participate together in a variety of exercises and activities. Kalaimagal Vizha is celebrated as a public function for three days every year signifying our rich traditions and culture. National Youth Day, Vidyalaya Foundation Day and other national and religious celebrations are held in a manner befitting the occasions. In recent years, state-level Youth Conventions are being held to impart values, morals and ethics that are very much needed for today’s youth, besides disseminating the inspiring and enlightening messages of Swami Vivekananda.

The Institutions of the Vidyalaya

Over the years, the Vidyalaya has grown into a comprehensive and reputed complex of educational institutions training around 7000 students, offering them facilities for education ranging from pre-school to doctoral levels.

SRM Institute of Science and Technology Chennai (SRMIST Chennai) was established in 1985 and was formerly known as SRM University Chennai. SRM IST Chennai is a private institute located in Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu. SRM Institute of Science and Technology is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC). SMR Institute of Science and Technology has more than 50,000 students enrolled and the total faculty strength at SRMIST is 3272. SRM Institute of Science and Technology offers a wide range of UG, PG, and doctoral courses in engineering, humanities, medicine, etc. SRM Institute of Science and Technology is commonly known as SRM University.

SRM University Chennai has secured 20th rank in the medical category, 46th in the research category and 34th rank in the engineering category in NIRF 2021 Rankings. In the university category, SRM Institute of Science and Technology has been ranked 30th as per the NIRF Ranking 2021 whereas, SRM Institute of Science and Technology was ranked 35th in the same category in the NIRF 2020 Ranking. SRMIST Chennai has been ranked 15th in the pharmacy category. SRM Institute of Science and Technology has been ranked 53rd in the overall category by the NIRF in 2021. The Ministry of Human Resource Development has placed SRM University Chennai in the highest Category ‘A’. SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRM IST Chennai) has been accredited by NAAC with a grade of 'A++'.

SRM Institute of Science and Technology offers admissions to courses in four different levels - Diploma, UG, PG and Doctoral levels. SRM Institute of Science and Technology Chennai offers admissions to a total of 143 courses. SRM University Chennai or SRM Institute of Science and Technology has a dedicated placement department known as the SRM Career Centre. SRMIST provides the students with placement opportunities and training. Every year, more than 650 companies participate in the SRM University Chennai placement drive. SRM University also offers many scholarships to its students. SRMIST Chennai scholarships include both private and government scholarships. SRM Institute of Science and Technology has a total of four campuses. The main campus of SRM IST is located in Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu. SRM University Chennai has two more campuses: SRMIST Ramapuram and SRM IST Vadapalani. The fourth campus of SRM University is located in Delhi-NCR.

St. Joseph’s College is an autonomous institution situated in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. It was affiliated to Madras University till 1869 but is now affiliated to Bharathidasan University. It is also the only college in Tamil Nadu to be awarded with “Heritage Status” by UGC. St. Joseph’s college is also the first autonomous arts and science college in the country to secure the prestigious A++ rank for the fourth cycle of accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

The college boasts a wide range of courses to choose, from undergraduate to postgraduate, M.Phil, Ph.D and vocational courses. The college offers BA, B.SC, B.Com, B.Voc, BBA courses under the Undergraduate category and MA, M.SC, M.Com courses under the postgraduate category. It also has a one of a kind MBA Twinning Programme with specialization in marketing. It also launched a new initiative called American Transfer Program in coordination with Concordia College in New York. The admission to all these courses can be done  by both online and offline modes. It also holds a 100% placement record along with various distinguished companies as their top recruiters.

Stella Maris College Chennai was founded in 1947 by the Society of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. Stella Maris College is a Catholic minority college of higher education for women. On August 15th 1947, Stella Maris College was established in a small one storey building with a bunch of students in Santhome, Mylapore. Later in 1960, the college was relocated to its present campus ‘The Cloisters’ on Cathedral Road, Chennai. Stella Maris College is an autonomous college affiliated with the University of Madras. Stella Maris College is recognised as an ‘A’ Grade college by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Stella Maris College aims to promote education and empower women to face the challenges of life with courage. In 2021, Stella Maris College has been ranked 58th in the college category by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) while, in 2020, the college was ranked at 64th in the same category.

Stella Maris College infrastructure is spread across 19.5 acres of land in the heart of Chennai and has modern classrooms available with audiovisual facilities. Stella Maris College offers courses at UG, PG, MPhil and PhD level. Stella Maris College offers postgraduate diploma courses to the students. Stella Maris College campus has taken environmental measures such as energy conservation, use of solar power energy. Stella Maris College facilities include a library that has a vast collection of books, journals and other online resources, well-equipped labs, a wellness centre for the students which provide medical facilities and sports facilities to the students of Stella Maris College.

Stella Maris College Location

Stella Maris College is located at Cathedral Road, Poes Garden, Gopalapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Chennai International Airport is about 14.5 KM away, T.Nagar Railway Station is about 4.5 KM away, AG-DMS and Thousand Light Metro Station are 1 KM away from the campus. Alwarpet Bus Stop is about 1.5 KM away from Stella Maris College.

Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut

LNM Institute of Information Technology (LNMIIT) Jaipur was established in 2006 and is deemed to be a university. It is a privately owned co-ed college. LNMIIT Jaipur has a campus size of 100 acres, the total number of faculty members is more than 80 and total student enrollment is more than 2000. LNM Institute of Information Technology Jaipur has been recognised by the UGC and has been accredited by the NAAC. LNM Institute of Information Technology Jaipur offers admission to a total of 20 courses. Among the engineering colleges, the varsity was ranked 194 by the NIRF in the year 2020.

LNM Institute of Information Technology Jaipur has a placement cell that handles all the matters related to the recruitment and training of the students. The placement cell of the college performs various functions like carrying out official communication with recruiters and companies. LNMIIT Jaipur scholarships are offered to meritorious and deserving students. The students of the college can also avail scholarships offered by the Railways, UGC, central government, etc.

Vignan’s Foundation for Science Technology and Research (VFSTR) is a deemed to be university established in the year 2008. The university is approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). With a CPGA of 3.2, NAAC has accredited Vignan University with an ‘A’ grade. The university has grabbed 111 rank in engineering category of NIRF Ranking 2021. It moved up 7 position as it was ranked 118 in NIRF Engineering Ranking 2020. In the university category of NIRF ranking 2021, the varsity has secured 97th position.  The campus of the university is spread over an area of 43 acres and it has a total of 487 faculty members. As per the official website, the mission of VFSTR is to provide high quality academic programmes, training activities and research facilities to students.

It offers a total of 67 courses at UG, PG and doctoral level. Five programmes - B.Tech Biotechnology, B.Tech Computer Science and Engineering, B.Tech Electrical & Electronics Engineering, B.Tech Electronics and Communication Engineering and B.Tech Mechanical Engineering are accredited by the National Body of Accreditation (NBA). The university provides admission to various programmes on the basis of marks obtained by candidates in national and state level entrance exams like JEE Main, EAMCET, APECET, GATE, AP PGECET etc.

Vignan’s Foundation for Science Technology and Research has a placement cell to facilitate placements to students. The university also provides multiple scholarships to students. It also offers foriegn exchange programmes to students as it has collaborations with numerous overseas universities. The campus of the varsity has all the necessary facilities and infrastructure for its students and faculty members.