KL University

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]

KL University

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	Er. Koneru Satyanarayana
President	Koneru Satyanarayana[1]
Vice-Chancellor	Dr. G. Pardha Saradhi Varma[1]
Address	Green Fields , Vaddeswaram, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh , 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.in

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 request from 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