GetMyUni's Verdict on SRM University

Parvathy Krishnakumar

“With a reputed brand name and years of experience, is SRM University the best pick for students aspiring to reach academic heights?”

Located in the suburbs of Chennai, SRM University has been a prominent private university in Engineering since its establishment in 1985. The university has been ranked among the top private institutions in the country. 

Besides the Engineering programs, SRM University has also been recognized for its various other courses in Medicine, Law, Design, Architecture and other fields. Students with no other option but are adamant about pursuing a particular route can join this university provided they have the financial capability to meet the overall expensive requirements.

All the students who are freshly out of school wish to go to the university mainly for the brand name they have managed to create over the years, which also has a good impression on the parents.

Students from the past years have raised several concerns about the university. Due to its popularity and the number of fancy courses, many students are keen to join the university every year despite the high fees.

Table of Contents

• Multiple Campuses
• Multitude of Courses
• Indifferent Faculties
• Mighty Infrastructure
• Vibrant Campus Life
• Decent Placements
• Notable Rankings and Accreditations
• Significant Achievements & Accolades
• Overall Impression of SRM University

Multiple Campuses

SRM University has campuses in different parts of Tamil Nadu and one in Delhi-NCR. The university's main campus is considered to be the one in Kattankulathur, Chennai, as it has the biggest infrastructure among the others. 

SRM University campus, including the one outside Chennai, is listed below:

• Kattankulathur - Chennai
• Ramapuram - Chennai
• Vadapalani - Chennai
• Tiruchirappalli
• Delh - NCR.

Previous years' students have pointed out that the campus located in Delhi-NCR is absolutely worthless, with teachers who are not properly educated but act like top university professors. The campus is 40 km from the Delhi border but has given Delhi-NCR as the name to extract the fees they demand. The campus is, in fact, in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Alongside the bad-quality faculty are the students who are different from the type to have around when focussing on academics. The management is infamous for its bad administration quality as well. Like in schools, The teachers are strict and known to harass students for anything and everything. 

The Kattankulathur campus is located on the outskirts of Chennai, which makes it far from the main city. However, all the necessary amenities, like hospitals, are available near the campus. The campus has both good and bad sides. Apart from being one of the most expensive universities in the country, the campus is overcrowded with students, which makes it easy for students to lose themselves.

Due to the rarity of buses and crowded local trains, it can get hectic for the students who are day scholars from the city to reach the campus. Cabs are not an option for students as these are also very expensive.

Multitude of Courses

SRM University offers a myriad of courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Students who intend to pursue their education online or as distance learning also have many courses to choose from at the university. The main fields in which courses are available at the university are as follows.

• Engineering and Technology
• Medicine and Health Sciences
• Management
• Science and Humanities
• Law
• Agricultural Sciences
• Hotel Management.

Students are expected to pay huge fees for different courses compared to the government institutions. They can interact with people from different cultures as it is an amalgamation of students from various parts of the country. The programs are good, but the education provided could be better for certain departments. SRM University is the most famous for its Engineering programs. 

According to the recommendations of past students, students from middle-class families should join a decent university for an undergraduate degree and then pursue their higher education is a good university outside the country as it costs that much to learn at this university. Similar to most private universities, SRM has many good and bad qualities. Students have a wholesome college life, but it could be better for academically inclined students. 

Study Abroad Programs

Several qualified students from the university have participated in the Study Abroad program held in the university, which is one of the best programs available in the country. Students were allowed to study a semester abroad at prestigious universities like Harvard, MIT and UC-Davis. They also have commenced programs from international universities like Carnegie Mellon, including twinning and dual degree programs.

Indifferent Faculties

Although the university is popular and has a good reputation, the teaching staff has been a downside. Most faculty members are postgraduates from private universities who could be better in their field. They need care for the students or the curriculum, which results in the syllabi for programs needing to be updated.

The faculties still need to revamp the education system and create an interest among the students in their teaching subjects. Although, there are well-educated teachers who are well-experienced in their fields. If students are lucky, they can find helpful teachers among the hostile faculties. 

Mighty Infrastructure

SRM University is well-known for its vast campus with all the necessary facilities. They launched the SRMSAT satellite from the campus, created by the Aerospace Engineering department. The campus is spread over 250 acres, with all the requirements available inside the compound. 

The classrooms at SRM University are well-equipped with digital boards and projectors for students to have an interactive learning experience. However, some students have complained about the need for updation in certain classrooms with no proper seating arrangement and old-fashioned furniture. Although they advertise a lot about having air-conditioned classrooms, only the first-year classrooms have air conditioning.

SRM University's infrastructure includes numerous labs for all the Science and Engineering programs departments, which are well-equipped with updated devices and instruments. However, students have raised complaints about the equipment needing to be updated. The management is said to have brought about changes instantly when objections were raised.

Hostels

As SRM is a popular university in the country, several students from outside the state join the university, and the main reason for them to have the opportunity is that SRM offers very good hostels to both boys and girls. Boys have around 14 blocks of hostels, and girls’ hostels are in 7 blocks inside the campus. 

• All necessary amenities like mineral water supply healthy, timely foods. 
• Well-furnished rooms with a single cot, table, chair and cupboards are basic necessities. 
• Students have the option to choose between air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned rooms.
• Multiple cuisine food is available, such as a separate section for North Indian and South Indian menus; Thai, Chinese and Continental food are all included in the dining halls.
• High-speed WiFi with power backup and other facilities like water heating systems, a cooler on every floor, etc.

Although they have the facilities mentioned above, few students have mentioned that their hostel life could have been better. They said the WiFi connection could have been better for some floors, and they had to carry their laptops in search of good signals. Apart from that, they could have been more impressed with the food quality in the hostel. 

SRM University hostel fees are really high, so the minimum quality for the kind of money they pay is absent, is what they have said. Several paying guest facilities are also available around the vicinity of the college premises with reasonable rates.

Clubs & Events

There is a club for every interest in the university. By joining these clubs, students are encouraged to pursue their academic and co-curricular interests. If they do not find a club suitable for their interests, they can start one with the help of the management. 

Numerous cultural events and tech fests are conducted on the campus, with popular figures invited as guests. These fests are interesting, with many fun activities held across the campus. Besides, student participation is motivated by the huge prize money offered through these fests.

SRM University has a comprehensive sports facilities and complex. Regular sports and extracurricular events are organised. Students get to enjoy an array of these sporting events.

Vibrant Campus Life

SRM University has an enjoyable campus life. The campus ovrall is safe. The college regularly arranges many cultural, academic and many other events. Students can participate in all of these events to enrich their college years. The administration also arranges workshops and industrial visits.

Cultural Diversity

Students from all parts of the country are part of the crowd at SRM University. Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Oriya and other Indian languages are widely spoken across the campus. 

The university also has international students from countries like Nigeria and China who are keen to pursue their education with the financial support available. English is the common language on the campus.

The intertwining of different languages and cultures is one of the best parts of studying at the university, as students are exposed to international communities. SRM University does not have a strict dress code or uniform unlike many other private institutions. It has also not implemented stringent rules and regulations.

Gender Diversity

The university has created a safe environment for students belonging to the LGBTQI community. They are not mocked or stereotyped based on their gender or sexual orientation, which is an impressive factor about the university. 

The campus also has a safe and secured environment with tight security around the campus.

Decent Placements

Due to the large number of students graduating from the university, multiple IT companies, like Wipro, TCS and Accenture, are regular recruiters of the students here. The companies recruit students in a large number.

Students who have completed Computer Science Engineering and Mechanical Engineering programs are offered packages up to 6 to 7 lakhs by good companies. The placement committee tends to focus more on getting more students placed in companies than the packages the companies offer.

Notable Rankings and Accreditations

As an old university, SRM has been accredited by the national commissions for imparting education and the infrastructure they hold. Following are the accreditations received by the university.

• A++ accreditation from NAAC
• University Grants Commission (UGC), Ministry of Education
• The Institution of Engineering and Technology
• Engineering accreditation from the Commission of ABET
• Computing accreditation from the Commission of ABET
• National Board of Accreditation (NBA).

Significant Achievements and Accolades

SRM University has received multiple awards for imparting holistic quality education to over 50,000 students. Some of the prizes received by the university are listed below.

• Green Mentors Award for ‘Green University Award’ in 2021.
• National IP Award from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, GoI, in 2018
• Campaign for 'One Student, One Tree' - First Prize by AICTE Universities in 2019.
• ‘University of the Year’ for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Awards in 2019.
• Best Industry –Linked Institute For Electrical Engineering & Allied Institute by AUCTE-CII Awards in 2019.
• Highest Score Secured Based on Socio-Economic Impact (STEM Technology Global Impact Award)

Overall Impression of SRM University

According to multiple reviews from those who graduated from the university and those who are current students at the university, SRM is a brand name with its own reputation. Students are recommended to opt for this university only if they do not have any better options. Due to the over-expensive courses and hostel fees, the decision to join the university must be taken carefully.

Following are the pros and cons of SRM University.

*Source: srmuniversityofficial Instagram