Vishakhapatnam: On the recommendation of the University Grants Commission (UGC),the Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM) here was yesterday declared as a Deemed University.

The institute, comprising of the College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Management Studies and College of Pharmacy was declared as deemed to be a university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956.

The colleges will be included in the ambit of GITAM Deemed University from the date of their disaffiliation from Andhra University (Vishakhapatnam).

The UGC will monitor the overall performance of the institute on a yearly basis, initially for three years and subsequently after every five years.

Established in 1980, the Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM) offers programmes in the fields of technology, management and medicine.