Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Sambalpur

Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, located in Burla, Sambalpur, Odisha, India, was originally founded in 1956 as the University College of Engineering (UCE), Burla, under the Government of Odisha, making it the oldest engineering college in the state. It was established to supply engineers for the nearby Hirakud Dam project, with its foundation laid by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The first batch had 20 students across Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering. The college later came under the administrative control of Sambalpur University, and subsequently the Biju Patnaik University of Technology, before student campaigns for independent recognition led to its establishment as a unitary university on 10 June 2009. In 2012, it was declared eligible for central assistance under Section 12B of the UGC Act, 1956. The university offers programmes including B.Tech, B.Arch, M.Tech, M.Sc, M.Phil, MCA, and Ph.D. Its campus spans about 350 acres near the Hirakud Dam, with plans to extend by 80 acres, and includes 11 halls of residence for students. The National Institutional Ranking Framework placed it in the 151-200 band for engineering and university categories.