Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya: courses at India's only railway university

At a large event in Vadodara, Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made special mention of the country's only railway university. Modi said Vadodara has now become a major centre for infrastructure, transportation and modern development in the country. The university was earlier known as the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI), but the central government has expanded it, granted it central university status, and renamed it Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.

It is India's first and only university built entirely for the study of transportation, logistics and the railway sector. Following Modi's speech, interest in the university has grown among young people and students across the country. Here is a detailed look at the courses offered and how admission works.

Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya offers courses in both engineering and management. It has programmes including B.Tech, BBA, MBA, M.Tech and PhD. The B.Tech offers a branch in civil engineering, while the M.Tech includes courses such as intelligent transport systems, railway engineering, bridge and tunnel engineering, and roads and highway engineering. The MBA includes specialised courses such as logistics and supply chain management, multi-modal transportation, metro rail management, aviation and operations management, and digital maritime.

A student wishing to pursue B.Tech at Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya must have passed class 12 with physics and mathematics, along with one of chemistry, biology, biotechnology or technical vocational subjects. General category students need at least 75 percent marks in class 12 or a top 20 percentile, while the limit for SC-ST students is 65 percent. Students must also clear the JEE Mains examination.

For B.Tech admission, students must first take the JEE Mains examination. Based on the rank obtained, students take part in JoSAA or CSAB counselling. This requires registering on the JoSAA or CSAB portal, then selecting Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya as a preference. Seats are then allotted based on rank and category.

After a seat is allotted, students must upload their documents online and pay the admission and tuition fees. They must then report to the Vadodara campus for physical verification and orientation.