Overview
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, commonly referred to as SMVD University or SMVDU, is a government-owned public university located in Katra, Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Founded in 1999, it functions as a fully residential and technical university, and is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under sections 2(f) and 12(B).
The university is established on a campus of more than 470 acres (190 ha) and offers technical and academic programmes in engineering, architecture, science, management, philosophy and other disciplines. Its technical courses are recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the University Grants Commission, the National Board of Accreditation and the Council of Architecture.
SMVDU has featured in several national and international ranking exercises. It was placed in the 100–150 band of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) university ranking in 2020, while its College of Engineering was ranked 78 in the NIRF engineering ranking the same year. In the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021, the university was ranked 80th globally and 3rd in India under the UN Sustainable Development Goal 07 category. It was placed in the 6th–25th rank band in the government-aided institutions category of the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024, SMVDU was placed in the 800–1000 band globally and listed among the leading universities in India. The Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2024 placed it in the 251–300 band, and the Young University Rankings 2024 placed it in the 201–250 band. Some scientists associated with the university have been included in Stanford University's lists of the world's top 2% and 5% scientists.
The campus is situated on a plateau in the Trikuta hills, at a distance of about 45 km (28 mi) from Jammu Airport and 14 km (8.7 mi) before the town of Katra, a region associated with the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.