Over 10,000 students benefited under VIT’s scholarship scheme: VIT Chancellor

G. Viswanathan, founder and rector of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), on Tuesday (October 14, 2025) said that scholarships worth ₹12 crore have been provided to more than 10,000 poor students for over 15 years under various flagship programs such as Supporting the Development of Rural Students (STARS) and Higher Education for All.

Addressing media persons at the Vellore campus, Mr. Viswanathan said that although Tamil Nadu’s Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) is 47%, which is higher than the national average of 28%, the enrollment rate in the northern districts of the State remains low. As a result, he said, the region’s economic growth has stalled, particularly due to weak enrollment in higher education. “VIT established the Higher Education for All Foundation to bridge the gap in enrollment rate between the northern districts and the rest of Tamil Nadu. Programs such as the STARS program have been implemented to uplift rural students in the erstwhile North Arcot districts, which are economically and educationally backward,” he said.

VIT Chancellor said education significantly affects per capita income. For example, the per capita income of Kerala, which has a smaller population and area than Bihar, is 3,800 dollars, while Bihar’s is 810 dollars. He said it underlines the transformative power of education, which Tamil Nadu aims to exemplify.

VIT Vice President Sekar Viswanathan, in his interactions, said the institute excels in research, with over 4,000 students pursuing PhD programs on campus with salaries ranging from £35,000 to £50,000 per month. He said VIT Vellore has consistently been among the top 20 universities in India in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings since 2016.