The Salem-based Sona College of Technology has earned an impressive position in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 results announced on August 12, 2024, making it the only engineering college in the city—home to two dozen government and private engineering colleges—to achieve this distinction.

In addition to being counted among the top 200 engineering colleges in India, in the 151-200 rank band, the college, established in 1997, has been ranked among the top 50 ‘Innovation Institutes’ within a rank band of 11-50. It stands alongside well-known institutions such as the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, and the National Institutes of Technology at Calicut, Dhanbad, Ropar, and Varanasi, among others.

Chocko Valliappa, Vice Chairman of Sona College of Technology, said, “Sona College’s inclusion in the NIRF 2024 ‘Innovation Institutes’ spurs us to deepen our research outcomes and internship efforts by students to fortify our industry-academia connection.”

Sona College’s NAAC A++ rank with a CGPA of 3.65 and inclusion in the NIRF ‘Innovation Institute’ category reinforces our commitment to faculty development, enhancing the learnability quotient of our graduating class to deliver better outcomes in their careers,” said Principal S.R.R. Senthil Kumar.

It may be recalled that the College’s SonaSPEED division has engaged with ISRO requirements for developing a variety of motors for ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 project, the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), the manned space exploration mission Gaganyaan.

The 300-strong Sona College faculty has been ranked No. 1 under the Faculty Performance category among nearly 6,000 chapters based on performance in the NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) examinations conducted over the past five consecutive years, making it the only college to do so.

Sona College’s sustained industry connect has led to a placement track record of over 95 per cent as also accolades from CII-AICTE as the ‘Best Industry-Linked Institution’ for the past seven years.

Sona College supports entrepreneurship through the Sona Incubation Foundation, which focuses on automotive, aerospace, and electric vehicle design to improve research outcomes and employability.

While congratulating Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that have demonstrated excellence in teaching, innovation, research, and graduation outcomes to secure a place of pride in the NIRF India Rankings 2024, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan said: "Knowing the quality, performance, and strengths of an academic institution is a right of students and parents."

He encouraged the institutions to foster an environment of educational excellence to realise the goal of Viksit Bharat.