Vellore Institute of Technology was founded in 1984 as a self-financing institution called Vellore Engineering College, and the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development conferred university status on it in 2001. It is established under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, according to its about page.
It is headed by its founder and Chancellor, Dr. G. Viswanathan, with three Vice-Presidents, a Vice-Chancellor and a Pro-Vice Chancellor. Its NIRF 2026 data submission reported 47,031 undergraduate, 13,452 postgraduate, 4,567 full time PhD and 293 part time PhD students for 2024-25, and NAAC accreditation with a CGPA of 3.66 valid to 30 August 2028.