Excellence Recognized: NAAC’s ‘Grade A’ Accreditation for SMS Varanasi

School of Management Sciences (SMS), Varanasi was founded in 1995. It was accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2017 – in the very first cycle of its assessment. It shows that the institute has met stringent quality benchmarks for higher education set by NAAC and is amongst the few ‘Grade A’ accredited institutes in India.

Why should you look at a management institute’s accreditation?

Students should look at an institution’s accreditation to ensure they are getting a quality education. Accreditation serves as a marker of quality assurance and indicates that the institute meets a certain set of criteria. This can help students measure the credibility and reliability of the educational institute before enrolling in it.

A NAAC ‘Grade A’ accredited institute like SMS Varanasi provides assurance to the students that their education will be of the highest quality, and they can trust in its standards of teaching. It also ensures that the institute is constantly striving for excellence by regularly revising and improving its course content.

Also, with accreditation comes recognition from employers, granting graduates better prospects for employment. All these benefits make accreditation an important criterion for students to consider when picking up a college.

What does NAAC accreditation tell you about an autonomous college?

A Higher Education Institution (HEI), including an autonomous college, can only apply for NAAC accreditation if it has been in existence for six years or if at least two batches of students have graduated from it. An autonomous college must also be affiliated with a UGC-recognized university or should be offering programs that are recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) or other statutory professional regulatory councils – to be accredited by NAAC.

The PGDM and MCA programs at SMS Varanasi, for example, are approved by AICTE and affiliated with Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (APJ AKTU), Lucknow. The undergraduate programs and the M. Com program are affiliated with Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith (MGKVP), Varanasi.

The grading offered by NAAC also indicates where an institute adds in terms of seven criteria that are parts of its comprehensive assessment framework. These are:

1. Curricular Aspects (with a weightage of 150 points): SMS Varanasi is an autonomous college which has been assessed on its curriculum design and development, academic flexibility, curriculum enrichment, and feedback system. Its ‘Grade A’ rating shows that the institute excels in this established criteria in this category.

2. Teaching-Learning and Evaluation (with a weightage of 300 points): NAAC looks at an autonomous college’s student enrolment and profile, student diversity quotient, teaching-learning process, the profile and quality of teachers, the evaluation process of the institute and the reforms it has introduced, students’ performance and learning outcomes, as well as the student satisfaction survey to check the quality of teaching-learning. SMS Varanasi offers a holistic approach to teaching-learning and has been awarded a ‘Grade A’ by NAAC.

3. Research, Innovations and Extension (with a weightage of 150 points): Availability of research facilities, resource mobilization, an innovation ecosystem, research publications and awards, consultancy services the institute offers to related sectors, extension activities, and collaboration activities of a management institute indicates the quality research and innovation at an institute. SMS Varanasi has consistently produced high-quality research outputs, which is evidenced by its ‘Grade A’ rating.

4. Infrastructure and Learning Resources (with a weightage of 100 points): The infrastructure of the college, its IT infrastructure, its library, physical facilities available on its campus, and their maintenance are important considerations because they affect the quality of teaching-learning. SMS Varanasi has an excellent infrastructure and offers many value-added offerings, such as Behaviour Dynamics Lab and Centre for Spiritualism and Human Enrichment (C-SHE).

5. Student Support and Progression (with a weightage of 100 points): Student support and progression activities and events, participation of students in them, and alumni engagement are important constituents of a college’s culture. NAAC assesses such activities of an autonomous college on the basis of its support to students, including guidance, counselling and career services, and placement records. The ‘Grade A’ rating awarded to SMS Varanasi attests that it has been successful in meeting these criteria.

6. Governance, Leadership and Management (with a weightage of 100 points): NAAC also checks out institutional vision and leadership, how it develops strategy and deploys it, faculty empowerment strategies it indulges in, how it does financial management and resource mobilization, and its internal quality assurance system to assess the governance, leadership, and management of an institute. SMS Varanasi has been awarded a ‘Grade A’ rating, which reflects its strength in governance and management.

7. Institutional Values and Best Practices (with a weightage of 100 points): NAAC accreditation also takes into account institutional values and social responsibilities, the best practices it follows, and what makes an institute distinctive. SMS is proactive in meeting these criteria and organizing regular events to promote these values.

The ‘A’ grade indicates that the institutional Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of SMS Varanasi is between 3.01 – 3.25 – which is ‘Very Good’ – and clearly reflects that the institute has been able to meet all the criteria as laid down by NAAC for excellence in education.

SMS Varanasi is indeed proud of this recognition, which encourages it to continue with its mission of providing quality education to students.

What are the benefits of studying in a NAAC-accredited college?

If you are seeking admission to the PGDM or MBA program, SMS Varanasi, which has been accredited with a ‘Grade A’ by NAAC, is the best choice for you. There are several benefits of studying in a NAAC accredited institute:

1. Adds to the credibility of the institute:  The NAAC accreditation is an assurance that the institute adheres to high-quality standards in teaching-learning, and research.

• Will help students build their career prospects: As the NAAC-accredited institutes are recognized by reputed universities, it will add value to your educational qualifications. Also, employers prefer candidates who have graduated from a NAAC-accredited institute.

• Access to better academics: NAAC-accredited institutes often offer better academic resources and support systems than non-accredited institutes, which will help students to pursue their courses more effectively and efficiently.

• Exposure through different kinds of labs, projects, workshops, and other opportunities: As we discussed above, SMS Varanasi offers unique labs, such as Behavioral Dynamic Lab and the Center for Spiritualism and Human Enrichment (C-SHE). Along with this, students can gain exposure to different kinds of projects and workshops.

• Provides a sense of recognition: NAAC accreditation is an indication that the institute is recognized for its education and research standards. This will give students a sense of assurance that they are getting the best education possible.

• Access to a strong alumni network: As NAAC-accredited institutes are well-known, they have a strong alumni network. This will help students to connect with industry professionals and build their networks.

• Access to exchange programs with reputed universities across the world: NAAC-accredited institutes often have tie-ups with universities across the world, which provides students with an opportunity to pursue their exchange programs in those universities. SMS Varanasi, for example, offers student and faculty exchange programmes with several reputed universities across the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

• Improves the admission prospects for higher studies: As we discussed above, NAAC-accredited institutes are recognized by reputed universities. Students from these institutes have a higher chance of getting admission into the university of their choice for postgraduate studies.

• Improves the chances of international companies picking up students for placements: NAAC-accredited institutes have a higher reputation in the industry, which makes them attractive to international companies. Hence, more students from these institutes get picked up for placements by such companies.

In short, studying in a NAAC-accredited institute like SMS Varanasi can offer you an unbeatable combination of quality education and excellent student experience. So, if you are looking to be admitted to a good college, this is the right place for you!