Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed-to-be University, Bhubaneswar is one of its kind multifaceted university with diverse activities carefully designed to help students achieve their best potential. Anchored on the principles of humanity and compassion, KIIT is an all-rounder not only for offering a wide range of academic programmes, but also for fostering the holistic development of students and its great social impact. Expectedly, the university has been producing high achievers in myriad fields, including Olympians, IAS and IPS officers and successful entrepreneurs, in addition to bright students who bag coveted jobs in campus placements.
KIIT is one of the most student-friendly campuses in the country. Despite 30,000 students, who come from all parts of India and 53 countries, expansive campus and varied facilities, its student community is highly satisfied and disciplined as the entire system and structure of KIIT is student-centric. This has also enabled the students to develop their best potential and achieve big.
KIIT was founded by eminent educationist and social activist Prof Achyuta Samanta in 1992-93 as a modest vocational training institute. It took shape as an institute of higher learning in 1997, considered as the base year, and was declared a Deemed-to-be University in 2004. Today it has become one of the most sought after universities of the country known for its world-class academics. Institution of Eminence (IoE) recognition from the Government of India has further bolstered the ‘brand KIIT’. IoE is an ambitious scheme of the Government of India that seeks to develop ten select universities each from the public and private sector into world-class teaching and research institutions.
Despite being a very young institution — 23 years as an institute and 16 years as a university — KIIT has been achieving impressive positions in various benchmark national and global university rankings. Recently, it was ranked first among self-financing institutions of India in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020, published by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. It is ranked 24th among Indian universities by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Ministry of Education, Government of India. KIIT has also been achieving an impressive position in international university rankings like the QS and Times Higher Education (THE).
The world has fast transitioned to a knowledge society, where mere possession of an academic degree does not guarantee success. KIIT has kept pace with the change, adapting its curriculum and pedagogy to ensure that students achieve the desired level of knowledge, skill and attitude specific to a particular area and domain. With 200 academic programmes spanning engineering, medicine, management, biotechnology, law and more offered by 28 constituent schools, KIIT Deemed-to-be University has become a model for the integration of knowledge. Students have an opportunity to choose their electives from a wide range of choices.
KIIT has implemented student-centred pedagogy, including project-based learning. This innovative approach involves an optimum combination of classroom lecture and innovative teaching pedagogy such as live industry projects, simulation process, role play, case study presentations, seminars, business exercises, group discussions, field activities, research activities, industrial visits, projects and dissertations, use of reverse teaching methods and so on. Students get unmatched exposure by attending and interacting with eminent academicians, legal luminaries, corporate leaders, policymakers and scientists, who visit to attend numerous academic conferences, seminars and workshops organised around the year. So far, 20 Nobel Laureates have visited KIIT and delivered talks under the Nobel Lecture Series and KIIT Knowledge Tree, which are unique initiatives to provide exposure to students.
The impact of these academic innovations is reflected by the success of KIIT students in the campus placement. The university has a remarkable campus placement record since its inception. There has been a significant improvement every year in various parameters such as the salary package, the number and quality of companies and so on. Due to its academic excellence and brand value, the recruitment drive of the university attracts top multinationals and reputed national companies. KIIT is placing nearly 3,000 students every year in technology streams. This year about 1,200 students (40 per cent) have bagged job offers with high salary packages ranging from Rs 6.5 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. This is comparable to any other national institutes in the country. The remaining students are also placed in good national international companies with pay packages ranging from Rs 6.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh. Campus placement in other streams – Management, Biotechnology, Law, Computer Application and Rural Management – is equally good.
Beyond placements, many students go ahead to set up their own enterprise and start-up with support from KIIT-Technology Business Incubator (KIIT-TBI), a DST recognised centre, which provides support to budding entrepreneurs. KIIT, which has academic tie-ups with 195 reputed global institutes, also supports about 500 students every year to go for higher studies abroad. Some other students have found success in the national level recruitment exams conducted by the UPSC, UGC and other bodies. KIIT is proud to produce IAS, IPS and IES officers.
KIIT proactively nurtures students' creativity and has established the Student Research Cell for innovative research. It encourages students and provides financial support to write and present research papers in academic seminars, workshops and conferences. Students of KIIT have the distinction of being appreciated at the national and international forum for their research projects. Numerous research papers authored by students have been published in reputed national and international journals.
KIIT has implemented a highly effective mentoring programme, which looks after the academic as well as social and emotional development of students. Mentors provide emotional and academic support, guidance, motivation, pose themselves as ideal role models for the mentees and also help them in their career growth. More than 25 vibrant student societies, functioning from KIIT Student Activity Centre, catalyse the all-round development of the student community. The societies, which deal with areas ranging from literature, film making and social work to robotics, contribute to the holistic growth of students in academics as well as creativity.
As a university with a vision, KIIT promotes sports and games in a big way among the students. It is proud to produce an Olympian and several other athletes who have won medals for the country in international sports meets like Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World University Games. Both the fastest woman of India, Dutee Chand, who is also an Arjuna Awardee, and the fastest man, Amiya Mallick are former KIIT students. It has the most elaborate and comprehensive sports infrastructure located at a single place in the country. This includes a world-class multi-sport stadium and 16 international standard sports complex in different campuses. Recently, KIIT hosted the first Khelo India University Games, the biggest sports extravaganza in the country.
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KIIT is not merely involved in imparting quality education; it is the world's only self-financing university to have a really wide spectrum of social outreach activities. It is running the world's biggest fully-free fully-residential institute exclusively for tribal children — Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). KISS provides holistic education from KG to PG, food, accommodation, healthcare, and all the basic necessities of life to 60,000 tribal children (30,000 existing students, 20,000 well-placed alumni and 10,000 students in its various satellite centres). In a unique direct development action, KIIT has transformed a remote village (Kalarabank) in Odisha into a Smart Village, equipping it with all the modern amenities of a city, while the Panchayat (Manpur) has been developed as a Model Panchayat. Among its numerous community outreach projects, KIIT is facilitating developmental work in one aspirational district of Odisha. The university has also contributed immensely to the field of art, literature, culture, film, media and spiritualism.
After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, KIIT responded swiftly to reduce the suffering of people. Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, the medical wing of KIIT, set up India's first standalone COVID-19 hospital with the support of the Government of Odisha. KIIT has also set up three special COVID-19 hospitals, one each in Kandhamal, Balangir and Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha. In a mammoth community service response, it reached out to various groups facing hardship due to the extended lockdown. The intervention includes the distribution of food materials and other essentials to over three lakh pandemic-hit people. In a unique humanitarian gesture, KIIT Deemed-to-be University has decided to provide free education to the children of the COVID-deceased in Odisha. The facility will be available for two academic years: 2020-21 and 2021-22.
KIIT ranked 1st among self-financing institutions of India in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020.
KIIT ranked 24th among Indian universities by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)
KIIT has achieved an impressive position in international university rankings like the QS and Times Higher Education (THE).
Today it has become one of the most sought after universities of the country known for its world-class academics. 'Institution of Eminence' (IoE) recognition from the Govt. of India has further bolstered the "brand KIIT".
20 Nobel Laureates have visited KIIT and delivered talks under Nobel Lecture Series and KIIT Knowledge Tree, which are unique initiatives to provide exposure to students.