Eight institutions in the State, including one engineering college, have been granted autonomy by the University Grants Commission.
These include SSN College of Engineering affiliated to Anna University; the State run Anna University; University of Madras and Alagappa University; the deemed to be universities SASTRA of Thanjavur and Sri Ramachandra Medical Research Institute; VIT, Vellore and Dr. MGR Educational and Research Institute, Maduravoyal.
The autonomy is based on the scores the institutions have been given by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Last year, Union Minister for Human Resource Prakash Javadekar announced that institutions classified as Grade I and Grade II would be granted autonomy. Among the institutions Alagappa University, SASTRA and SRMC have been categorised Grade I universities as their NAAC score was over 3.50. Anna University scored 3.35 and Madras University, 3.32.
The institutions can start new courses, off campus centres, skill development courses, research parks and new academic programmes. They can also hire foreign faculty, enrol foreign students, give incentive based emoluments to the faculty and enter academic collaborations and run open distance learning programmes.
