Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology

Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (SIST), formerly known as Sathyabama Engineering College and Sathyabama University, is a private, STEM-intensive, multi-disciplinary, multi-campus deemed university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in the year 1987, it is a Christian minority educational institution. The university's main campus is located near Sholinganallur, with the dental college nearby at Sithalapakkam, and a secondary satellite campus at Sriperumbudur. A highly technical university that specializes in the engineering fields, Sathyabama has been accredited with 'A++' grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), 'Category 1 University' by the University Grants Commission (UGC), and five 'QS stars' for excellence by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

The university is an ISO 9001:2008 certified institution, and in 2016, it successfully built and launched its own space satellite, in association with ISRO, India's national space agency. Sathyabama has 15 departments that offer 48 accredited undergraduate programs and 23 accredited postgraduate programs, mostly in the field of engineering, but also in science, technology, law, architecture, and management.

The SIST main campus spans across a 140-acres suburban setting located along the IT Corridor. The campus buildings include a research hospital, three aeronautical hangars, a science research park, a central library with 3 lakh books, and an advanced nanotechnology centre. With 15,600 students, it is one of the largest universities in Tamil Nadu.

It was founded in 1987 as Sathyabama Engineering College by the late Dr. Jeppiaar Jesuadimai, and was intended as an engineering-focused center. The university was established to provide higher technical education to the Christian minorities residing in Tamil Nadu and other South Indian states. It was formerly known as Sathyabama University, until it was renamed as Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (SIST) in 2018. It received its deemed-to-be-university status from the Ministry of Human Resources Development in 2001, under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956.

Starting in the late 1990s, Sathyabama expanded its curriculum to include courses in science, law and management. The dental college was established in 2009, and is one of the largest university medical centers in Tamil Nadu.

The main campus at Sholinganallur was constructed above an old swamp, which has led to severe flooding during the rainy seasons. The campus has many white and blue buildings designed in concentric patterns, and includes 5 hostels for male students and another 5 hostels for female students. There are provisions for support infrastructures such as ATMs, emergency medical clinic, a gym block, computer labs, laundry centers, central library, and visitors information center. The dental college is located nearby at Sithalapakkam, separated from the main campus by a large lake. It also has a private entrance from the main road, which allows emergency vehicles to operate.

A secondary satellite campus was established at Sriperumpudur, to increase the student in-take. The new campus offers a combination of engineering and science courses with the same accreditations as the main campus. The two campuses are approximately 45 kilometers apart.

The university is located in Sholinganallur, Chennai. It has a campus of 140 acres. The campus is adjacent to Rajiv Gandhi Salai (formerly known as Old Mahabalipuram Road and popularly known as the "IT Corridor"). The university also obtained authorization from the Ministry of Education, on the recommendation of the UGC, to open a secondary satellite campus at Vadamangalam, in Sriperumbudur.

Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology has been accredited with the 'A++' grade by NAAC and is a 'Category 1 University' under the UGC. It has received ISO 9001:2008 certification. The university also received the full five 'QS stars' for excellence by Quacquarelli Symonds, making it one of 40 universities in India to have done so.

The majority of the courses are accredited by national governmental bodies. The university's dental courses are accredited by the Dental Council of India, legal courses are accredited by the Bar Council of India, design courses are accredited by the Council of Architecture, and engineering courses are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

in 2024, the university is ranked 51st among universities, 66th among engineering colleges and 85th overall in India according to NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework). Sathyabama is ranked in the 1201-1500 band in global rankings and 373rd in Asia by the QS World University Rankings system in academic year 2024-2025, and 501st in Asia by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings system in academic year 2024-2025.

Sathyabama University offers on-campus training by reputed companies. Some of the facilities include Inplant Training, Advisory Bureau for Higher Studies, Entrepreneur Development Cell, Guest Lectures, Foreign Language Classes and Sports.

The Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology was established in January 2006. It was upgraded in 2011 with advanced research instrumentation facilities like FE-SEM, XRD, E-beam, DC thermal, RF, AFM, PLD, etc. The centre has a team of scientists working in the fields of Material Sciences, Thin Film Coatings, Nanofabrications, Environmental Nanotechnology, Concrete Research, Marine Biotechnology, Nanobiotechnology and Molecular Medicine, as well as Nanomedical Sciences, Drug Discovery and Polymer Chemistry.

The centre for advanced studies was established in 2013 to carry out specialized studies in the fields of genetic research, metallurgy, immunology, and robotics. The institution has developed algorithms that are now used in the university's data labs, computer-integrated security systems and student management logs.

Sathyabama has three large aeronautical hangars that are a part of the institution's programmes in aviation research. Constructed in 2008, these hangars are used to construct model aircraft, wind turbines, wind-flow panels, and other components of aeronautical engineering. The Sathyabama-ISRO space satellite which was launched in 2016 was also manufactured here.

The university has a central library, named after its founder Dr. Jeppiaar. The library was constructed in 2001, and currently has more than 313,000 books. It has subscription services to major publishers such as the AICTE, ASME, ASCE, ACM Digital Library, and IEEE engineering journals. Apart from this, the library also has monthly subscriptions to more than 130 journals and 100 magazines. The library is also connected to the staff internet service-link of the university, allowing staff and students to exchange research materials from any of the departments.

• Official website