KIIT-Bhubaneswar Aims Five-Fold Increase In Intake Of Foreign Students

Bhubaneswar: The KIIT University, which has been accorded the Institute of Eminence (IoE) status, is looking at leveraging the position to raise the intake of foreign students by five-time and infusing more resources towards R&D and innovation.

The IoE tag will not only give KIIT academic and financial autonomy for transforming into an institute of international repute, but will also provide it with the freedom to recruit faculties from abroad and enter into collaboration with the foreign higher educational institution without government approval.

“As of now, we have about 750 foreign students on our campus. But we are targetting to raise the strength to 4000 in the coming years. The aim is to get more students from the European nation and from the continent of America. The IoE status will help us to achieve our objectives,” KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta told reporters here. The overall student strength at present stands at around 30,000.

Samanta was addressing the media to announce the Letter of Intent sent by the HRD Ministry on September 4 about the IoE tag. He hailed it as a big achievement, not only for the institute but for the entire state of Odisha. KIIT is the only Odisha-based institute and among the 10 private universities in the country to get the IoE tag.

The UGC had on August 2, finalised the list of 10 public and as many private institutes for the IoE status. The objective of the scheme, among others, are:

• To help the IoE rated institutes provide higher education leading to excellence and innovations in such branches of knowledge as may be deemed fit at post-graduate, graduate and research degree levels and award degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions.
• Aim to be rated internationally for teaching and research as a top hundred Institution in the world over time.

Samanta said enhanced resources will be earmarked for R&D activities in keeping with the IoE norms. The progress made by IoE institutes would be reviewed every 2-3 years by the Centre. “We are hopeful that in the next few years, we would be among the top 500 universities globally”.

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had conceptualised the IoE scheme, and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for expressing faith and trust in KIIT with the IoE tag.

“KIIT is just 22 years old as an institution for professional education and 15 years old as a University. It was founded in 1992-93 as a vocational training centre from rented premises with a seed capital of only Rs 5000. But, despite being a very young university, it has secured an impressive position in various global university rankings.

“KIIT has been giving importance to quality education, research and development since its inception. As a result, it became possible for KIIT to achieve this success. It is a matter of pride not only for students, staff, faculties and guardians of KIIT Deemed to be University but also for Odisha, Samanta said.