KL University
University in Andhra Pradesh, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[2]
 | |
Other names | K L Deemed to be University |
|---|---|
Former names | Koneru Lakshmaiah University, Koneru Lakshmaiah College of Engineering |
| Type | Deemed to be University |
| Established | 1980 |
| Chancellor | Koneru Satyanarayana |
| President | Koneru Satyanarayana[1] |
| Vice-Chancellor | G. Pardha Saradhi Varma[1] |
| Address | Green Fields , , 522502 , India 16°26′32″N 80°37′21″E |
| Campus | KLEF Vijayawada: 0.404686 km2 (100 acres) KLEF Hyderabad (temporary campus): 0.09290304 km2 (23 acres) |
| Language | English |
| Colours | Red |
| Website | kluniversity |
 | |
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.[3]
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.[4] Following the University Grants Commission's warning to 123 deemed institutes, not to use "university" in the name[5] it was renamed Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF). In 2019, it was renamed K L Deemed to be University.[6]
Location
Koneru Lakshmaiah Deemed to be University is situated in a 100-acre (40 ha) site adjacent to Buckingham Canal, and is about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Vijayawada[7] in Krishna district and 33 kilometres (21 mi) from Guntur. The university is in Guntur district.
Schools
KLEF includes the following schools:[8]
- 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,[9] 22nd among universities,[10] 79th in the management category,[11] and 35th in engineering.[12]
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Engineering – India | |
| NIRF (2024)[13] | 35 |
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 ₹3,700,000 (US$44,000) in cash, gold, mobile phones, and laptops.[14]
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:[15]
- 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