Vellore Institute of Technology was established with the aim of providing quality higher education on par with international standards. It persistently seeks and adopts innovative methods to improve the quality of higher education on a consistent basis. It was established under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956, and was founded in 1984 as a self-financing institution called the Vellore Engineering College. The University is headed by its founder and Chancellor, Dr. G. Viswanathan, a former Parliamentarian and Minister in the Tamil Nadu Government.

Vellore Institute of Technology admits students on the basis of merit through an online entrance exam. VIT organizes its own entrance exam, called the Vellore Institute of Technology Engineering Entrance Examination (VITEEE). It is conducted every year in the month of April and May. In 2015, over two lakh students or two hundred thousand students appeared for the entrance examination. From the dawn of this University, it has always envisioned to evolve as an institution with international standard. Internationalization started with the admission of foreign students followed by international MoUs. The college has about 200 MoUs so far and has the most number of MoUs with Chinese college in the whole of India.

Vibrance – a national-level two-day cultural and sports festival is by far the largest cultural festival of VIT Chennai and since its inception has served as a pioneer of art and culture for the youth.  Co-curricular and extracurricular activities are planned and executed through a number of associations, clubs, societies and student chapters of professional bodies. They are owned and managed by representatives of students and are monitored by the faculty in-charge. AutomoVITe Club is one among the other technical clubs of VIT university. CIVITEK is The Civil Engineering Club at VIT Chennai. It focuses on concepts and principles in the built environment, as well as on the technological process.