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K L University, formerly Koneru Lakshmaiah College of Engineering (KLCE) and Koneru Lakshmaiah University, is a higher educational institution Deemed to be University, located in Vaddeswaram, near Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Established in 1980 as a college of engineering, it consists of eight schools, offering academic programs at UG, PG, doctoral, and post-doctoral industry-focused courses.[1]
As of 2025, the university has been barred from NAAC accreditation for 5 years after reports of bribing the assessor team to receive favourable ranking.[2]
History
KLEF was established in 1980 at Vaddeswaram as K L College of Engineering (KLCE). It became autonomous in 2006 and was recognized as deemed to be university in 2009, known as K L University.[3] Following the University Grants Commission's warning to 123 deemed institutes, not to use "university" in the name[4] it was renamed Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF). In 2019, it was renamed K L Deemed to be University.[5]
Location
Koneru Lakshmaiah Deemed to be University is situated in a Template:Convert site adjacent to Buckingham Canal, and is about Template:Convert from Vijayawada[6] in Krishna district and Template:Convert from Guntur. The university is in Guntur district.
Schools
KLEF includes the following schools:[7]
- K L College of Engineering
- K L School of Science & Humanities
- K L School of Architecture
- K L School of Management
- K L School of Fine Arts
- K L School of Commerce
- K L School of Pharmacy
- K L School of Law
- K L School of Agriculture
- Center for Distance and Online Education
Rankings
In the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation has been ranked 40th overall in India,[8] 22nd among universities,[9] 79th in the management category,[10] and 35th in engineering.[11]Template:Infobox India university ranking
Controversies
NAAC rating bribery case
KL University became the center of a bribery investigation after the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested the chairman and six members of a National Assessment and Accreditation Council Inspection Committee on 1 February 2025. The arrests were made over allegations that bribes were paid to secure a favorable NAAC accreditation rating. The CBI conducted raids across 20 locations in India, including Chennai, Bangalore, and New Delhi, recovering Template:INRConvert in cash, gold, mobile phones, and laptops.[12]
The alleged bribery was traced back to office bearers of KL University, leading to the arrest of several key individuals linked to the institution, including:[13]
- G P Saradhi Varma – Vice-Chancellor, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF), Guntur
- Koneru Raja Hareen – Vice-President, KLEF
- A Ramakrishna – Director, KL University, Hyderabad campus
References
- ↑ Welcome to KLEF Deemed to be University. www.kluniversity.in. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ↑ Week after CBI arrested 10 in NAAC 'bribery scam', Andhra university at centre of row barred from accreditation for 5 years. The Indian Express(2025-02-08). Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- ↑ Inception & History. klef.edu.in. KL Deemed to be University. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ↑ UGC warning to institutes: Drop 'university' from name or lose 'deemed' status. Hindustan Times(29 November 2017). Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ↑ UGC Issued Warning Against Deemed Universities: Use of word 'University' Prohibited, Check List of 127 Deemed Universities Recognised by UGC. Jagranjosh.com(2020-05-29). Retrieved 2021-06-04..
- ↑ K L UNIVERSITY · Vaddeswaram, Andhra Pradesh 522303, India. K L UNIVERSITY · Vaddeswaram, Andhra Pradesh 522303, India. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
- ↑ Schools A-Z. klef.edu.in. KL Deemed to be University. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ↑ NIRF INDIA 2024.
- ↑ university ranking 2024.
- ↑ management rankings 2024.
- ↑ NIRF India Rankings 2024: Engineering.
- ↑ KLEF management charged with colluding with NAAC team to get good ranking. The Hindu(2025-02-02). Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ↑ KLEF top brass arrested in NAAC bribery case, Service, Express News. The New Indian Express(2025-02-02). Retrieved 2025-07-24.