Over Rs 13 crore disbursed for students under VIT: Chancellor’s scholarship programme

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) Founder and Chancellor G. Viswanathan said that over 11,000 students have been awarded scholarships worth over ₹13 crore for over 15 years under the various flagship programs such as Support the Advancement of Rural Students (STARS) and Higher Education for All.

In his presidential address at the STARS event, organized for the first time in Tiruvannamalai by VIT’s Universal Higher Education Trust (UHET), he said that despite Tamil Nadu’s Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) being 47%, which is above the national average of 28%, the enrollment rate in the northern districts of the state remained low.

As a result, the region’s economic growth suffered. “The VIT has established the Higher Education for All Foundation to bridge the enrollment gap between the northern districts and the rest of the state. Programs like STARS program have been implemented to uplift rural students in the erstwhile North Arcot districts, which are economically and educationally backward,” he said.

On the occasion, Deputy Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and Chief Guest K. Pitchandi distributed scholarships worth ₹28 lakh to 242 deserving students.