SRM University Sonepat: Setting benchmarks for academic excellence and research

-Reshma Ravishanker

Promoted in 2012 by the Chennai-based SRMIST Trust, SRM University, Sonepat, Haryana (SRMU) shares coveted space with select higher educational institutions at the Rajiv Gandhi Education City – an initiative of the Government of Haryana to establish an education hub modelled on the Ivy League universities. The university admitted its first batch of 85 students in 2013, and ever since, has been delivering high quality tertiary education through the provision of industry-driven pedagogies and a strong focus on research.

The premier privately funded SRMU Sonepat boasts a vibrant campus teeming with over 2,500 students from 25 states and Union territories. The varsity’s six faculties offer over 70 programmes in a choice of disciplines including engineering and technology, law, management, science and humanities, finance and commerce and hotel management. Strong industry collaborations and association with firms such as IBM, Xebia and TCS, among others, provide SRMU students a headstart in their careers.

Research support

Sprawled over 47.89 acres, the SRMU Sonepat campus hosts an enabling infrastructure for high-end research. A striking feature of the infrastructure is labs that are inspired by Google’s office.

The multi-disciplinary research-driven university has been redefining India’s higher education system and boasts several national and/international collaborations to equip students with 21st-century skills. Bosch has established its centre of excellence as a CSR initiative. SIEMENS has six fully functional labs which is part of the multi-crore project within the campus. The Sonepat campus is second in the country to be recognised as SIRO – Scientific and Industrial Research organization by DSIR – Department of Industrial science and research, the government of India. Besides, as mandated by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) is also established at SRM Sonepat campus. A C4D (Centre for Drug Design Discovery and Development) which was inaugurated by Prof. Theodore Roosevelt is among the highlights of the campus.

Inter-disciplinary work

The university follows a CBCS (Choice Based Credit System) for evaluation where a student is encouraged to take up elective/skill based courses outside their core domain. Moreover, the mentor-mentee programme promotes excellent student interaction with seniors.

The incubation centre gives aspiring engineers a platform to develop prototypes. The management students then conduct an analysis and provide insights while the legal students assist with the patenting and other legalities. Commerce and finance students could chalk out the revenue model and predict the likelihood of its performance in the market with an in-depth study of the quotations.

Beyond textbooks

The university has two libraries. One is central library and other is law library specifically for law students. Carpet area (in sq. meter)- 650.20. Reading space with the number of seats is a 100. Titles in library (count of unique books, do not include magazines and journals) are as many as 4600 while the nuber of volumes in the library (Count of total copies of all books, do not include magazines and journals) is 19,364. The carpet area of all the computer labs are (in sq. meters) 1,218. total no. of computers are 390. There are labs for civil, mechanical, ECE, EEE, bio-medical, physics, chemistry, and biology separately.

Placements

It is not just burning the midnight oil before exams but for a consistent and comprehensive learning that sets the SRM Sonepat students apart from the rest. An industry-oriented training, live projects, mandatory internships, soft skill training, aptitude training prepares students to face interviews and support them in falling on a desiring career path. The placement cell, with dynamic staff who are abreast with the latest trends in the industry bridge the industry-student connect, drawing some of the best players to campus for recruitment.

The university placements have been minimally impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic prompted economic crisis. Rather surprisingly, students reported an actual improvement in job offers from sectors such as IT, CSE, and Law. Management graduates are also relatively unaffected. However, some core engineering streams have seen a slight dip in numbers while hotel management is awaiting its revival. The SRMU Sonepat management is however optimistic that the momentum will revive once the pandemic recedes.

SRM University facilities

Admissions

Applicants must clear the SRMHCAT, a common test for UG, PG, and PhD aspirants conducted every year. The university follows UGC guidelines for eligibility. For instance, an aspirant should have secured minimum 50% marks in the previously qualified exam to apply at SRMU Sonepat. The screening process involves the SRMHCAT score followed by GDPI.

Students can also benefit from the scholarships are also being provided to the deserving based on rank-based counselling system like the way it is done in IP, DU, or IITs. Scores of JEE, CLAT, SAT, NCHMCT council exams are also accepted. A range of scholarship schemes are offered by the university based on merit, sports, domicile (for Haryana students) etc besides the SRM cares COVID-19 scholarship. Under this, in case of death of the earning member of the family due to the pandemic, or, if the student has lost both parents to Covid-19, they are eligible for a 50% scholarship. 25% scholarship is provided if the student has lost a parent.

SRM University Milestones

Ranked #1 in India for Excellence in IT Enabled learning in the EducationWorld Higher Education Grand Jury Awards 2021.

Ranked# 5 in Private Multidisciplinary Universities (Delhi-NCR) by The Week magazine in July 2021

Ranked #16 in Multidisciplinary Emerging Universities (All India) and ranked #37 in Private Multidisciplinary Universities (All India) by The Week in July 2021

Ranked among top 50 universities in India and top 10 in Haryana in the EducationWorld India Higher Education Rankings 2021-22

Also read: EW Interview with Manoj Madhavan Kutty, Director, SRM University