Are you aspiring to be an engineer?
Are you really excited to learn the work that you will be proud of and where you can see clearly your career path?
From having some of the highest entry-level salaries to being able to work anywhere in the world, aspiring engineers have plenty of perks to look forward to after a difficult undergrad.
Look:
Engineering is a versatile career. There is perhaps no other career that spans so many areas—healthcare, agriculture, entertainment, business, and more.
Becoming an engineer is everyone’s dream profession.
Majority of people believe, an engineering degree- Diploma, Bachelors or Masters- opens vistas to a great career.
Unfortunately, this is a myth in which over a million students get inadvertently trapped every year.
There are some thumb rules to be followed in choosing an engineering education:
First, The interest of the candidate and his/her choice of the branch should be the criteria for admission.
Second, The choice of institution is also critical.
There are hundreds of colleges for engineering in India.
But if you pursue your engineering course from any of the top engineering colleges in India, the chances of you getting a job in one of the most Admired companies in the engineering sector will be higher.
The topmost engineering colleges in India have better infrastructure, faculty, and placement opportunities.
Shocking Facts of Engineering:
According to a report compiled by Aspiring Minds, a leading company that assesses employability skills, a mere seven percent of the 1.5 million students who graduate as engineers every year, get jobs.
The ‘National Employability Report- Engineers- Annual Report 2016’ states, fresh engineering graduates fail to get suitable employment because they lack the required skills.
Their plight is largely blamed on inadequate training imparted by hundreds of private engineering colleges that have mushroomed across India.
Seats at these colleges remain in high demand due to false prestige attached by the Indian society to an engineer’s degree.
However, graduates from the best engineering colleges of India readily get job offers from topmost Multinational companies (MNCs) of India.
These offers are generally made before or soon after the convocation ceremony, according to various news reports.
List of Top 10 Best Engineering Colleges in India:
In view of these facts, it is better to ensure you get admission to the best institute in India.
An engineering course costs about Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 1 million, depending upon the institute you study and facilities such as accommodation, food, and transport expenses.
Hence, selecting the best college is imperative to justify this expense and embark on a great career.
You might be wondering:
How to find the best college of Engineering?
Here we take a look at the top 10 Engineering colleges in India which become the dream for any youngster who is looking for a successful career in Engineering.
1) College of Military Engineering, Pune
Established in 1943, College of Military Engineering (CME) ranks as the top most institute of its kind in India.
This is because CME engineers work for the Indian Armed Forces, the world’s fourth-largest military power.
Basic qualifications are Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) or equivalent with minimum 70 percent marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
Additionally, aspirants have to undergo the Jawaharlal Nehru University Engineering Entrance Exam (JNUEEE) that includes written tests and interview.
Further, students are also required to undergo rigorous medical exams for physical and mental fitness.
This is because CME engineering graduates are deployed on India’s international borders, Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force units and installations.
CME enrolls servicemen of the Indian Armed Forces, police forces as well as civilians interested in making a career in the military.
CME offers three-year courses for Bachelor of Technology (B-Tech) in Civil, Mechanical, and Communications engineering.
Additionally, CME also has two-year Diploma courses for Electrical and Civil engineering streams as well as draughts-person.
The degree is awarded by Jawaharlal Nehru University and is recognized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
2) Indian Institutes of Technology
For working in civilian jobs, Indian Institute of Technology – commonly called IIT- are India’s best engineering college.
The first IIT was opened in Kharagpur, West Bengal in 1951. Now, there are 23 IITs located in 22 states of India, which includes two in Uttar Pradesh.
The Indian government plans to open more IITs across India, primarily to cover every state of this country and promote superior quality education in engineering streams.
IIT aspirants have to pass the Joint Entrance Exam- Advanced, which is billed among the most rigorous of its kind in India.
IITs offer Bachelor of Technology (B-Tech) courses in all major engineering streams. IITs also rank as the foremost engineering colleges in India in the civilian category.
Students from IITs get job offers before graduation or immediately upon completing their degree.
In recent years, IIT also offers Master of Bachelor Administration (MBA) courses, which helps its engineers get high managerial positions.
3) National Institutes of Technology
National Institutes of Technology are an offshoot of Regional Engineering Colleges set up by the Indian government since 1959, in each state.
In 2002, then Union Minister of Human Resources Development, Murli Manohar Joshi decided to upgrade and integrate these RECs into what is today called NITs.
Currently, there are 31 NITs in various states and Union Territories of India.
NITs are billed as the second most prestigious engineering colleges for civilian service in India and have an annual acceptance rate of only two to three percent, which is the toughest after IIT.
For admissions to NIT, you need to hold an HSC or equivalent with minimum 70 percent in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
Additionally, you have to secure excellent scores in the engineering entrance exams conducted by technical education departments of states where you are applying for admission.
NIT engineers get jobs in public and private sector enterprises. NIT degrees are very highly respected in India and abroad.
Also read: Top 10 Autonomous Engineering Colleges in India
4) Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology
Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IISST) is the one of its kind institute in India.
It is an autonomous organization that operates under the aegis of Department of Space of the Indian government with support from Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
It was founded in 2007 at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center and later moved to its existing campus in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Former Indian President and renowned aerospace scientist Late Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam was its first chancellor.
IISST offers two B-Tech courses in aerospace and avionics engineering as well as various specialized Master’s degree courses in sciences related to aerospace and space exploration, among others.
Admissions are purely merit-based and only for aspirants who have scored very high in the JEE-Advanced exam conducted by IIT. Graduates from this institute are generally employed by ISRO and India’s aeronautics industry.
Hence, all programs are designed for a career in these sectors.
5) Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, Mumbai
Formerly known as Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute, this engineering college ranks among the oldest in India.
It was established in Mumbai in 1887. On January 26, 1997, this premier engineering college was renamed Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute.
It offers Diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate engineering courses in nine different streams through 12 departments.
VJTI aspirants have to pass the JEE-Main which is conducted by the Maharashtra government’s five autonomous bodies.
VJTI receives an aid from World Bank which is helping this engineering college to improve its educational facilities.
VJTI graduates are held in high esteem and readily find excellent placements.
6) Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS)
BITS was established in Pilani, Rajasthan has an interesting history. It began as a one-teacher school founded in 1901 by Shiv Narain Birla.
Over the years, his successors added various institutes of higher education and engineering.
In 1964, these were integrated into a single entity to form the modern day college.
BITS Pilani now operates campuses in Goa, Hyderabad, and Dubai.
BITS campuses offer Bachelor of Engineering (BE) courses in six different streams from its Goa, Hyderabad, and Dubai campuses and seven from the main institute at Pilani.
Additionally, it also offers Master of Engineering and doctoral courses.
Aspirants that have passed their Higher Secondary Certificate or equivalent with minimum 60 percent marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics can apply for admission to BITS’ engineering programs.
They have to appear for the BIT- Scholastic Aptitude Test (BIT-SAT) conducted by the institute, for admissions to the Bachelor programs.
7) Sardar Patel College of Engineering, Mumbai
Sardar Patel College of Engineering is operated by the reputed educational foundation, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
It was established in 1962 and inaugurated by India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
SPCE is one of the few colleges that has received Grade A+ rating for its aided courses and an A Grade for the un-aided courses from the Govt. of Maharashtra.
According to SPCE website, the college has graduated some 7,000 graduate and over 100 postgraduate engineers.
Students who have completed their HSC or equivalent have to appear for an exam conducted by Maharashtra State Directorate of Technical Education, to gain admissions to SPCE.
The college offers Bachelor and Master degrees in Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering streams.
8) University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore
History of this college dates back to 1917 when it was founded as Government Engineering College by legendary Indian engineer, Sir. M Visvesvaraya, who was then Diwan of Mysore.
UVCE has been granted the ‘University’ status by the University of Bangalore- which is a rare accolade for any college in India.
The college offers Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degrees in engineering in various streams and ranks among the topmost such institutes of the country.
To get a seat in UVCE, Bangalore, you need to have successfully completed HSC or its equivalent with high percentage scores in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
Additionally, you need to appear for the Common Entrance Exam conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority for admission to Bachelor courses and Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering conducted by IIT for Master’s degree studies.
9) Jadavpur University, Kolkata
Jadavpur University Faculty of Engineering and Technology traces its roots back to 1905 when the ‘Swadeshi’ or self-reliance movement aimed at liberating the Indian subcontinent from oppressive British rule was gathering momentum.
In 1950, it was incorporated as an engineering institute under the West Bengal state government.
Jadavpur University offers Bachelor degree in engineering in 17 different and some very specialized fields.
Admission to the FET is very tough.
Other than scoring extremely high marks in HSC or its equivalent, aspirants also need to appear for the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WB-JEE) and qualify with high marks, for a Bachelor’s degree course.
10) Government Colleges of Engineering
Maharashtra state operates Government College of Engineering at seven locations including Aurangabad, Amravati, Karad, Jalgaon, Chandrapur, Avasari (near Pune) and Nagpur.
They offer Bachelor and Master degrees in various streams of engineering and are affiliated to major state-run universities of Maharashtra.
Entrance to Maharashtra GCEs is through MH- Common Entrance Test for students who have successfully cleared their HSC or equivalent with very high percentage marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
A bulk of GCE graduates get jobs in prestigious enterprises operated by the Central government and Maharashtra state.
Additionally, GCE graduates are also in high demand among the private sector.
Special Mention: Army Institute of Technology
Army Institute of Technology is one-of-kind in India and is located in Pune.
This engineering college was set up by former Chief of Army Staff, General BC Joshi.
Its objective is to provide engineering course to children of personnel of the Indian Armed Forces, who face severe difficulties in accessing facilities of higher education, because their parent’s jobs are frequently transferable or in remote areas.
AIT is recognized as an engineering college by AICTE and functions under the aegis of the Savitribai Phule University, the new name of Pune University.
Wrap Up
In addition to these very highly reputed and top 10 engineering colleges in India, this country is also home to several highly renowned polytechnics that offer Diploma courses in various engineering streams.
In recent years, the number of seats reserved for women at top engineering colleges in India and polytechnics has been increased by the Indian government.
The move comes in wake of promoting educational and financial gender equality and women empowerment drive taken by the Central and state governments.
In Conclusion
India has one of the highest numbers of engineering colleges in the world.
A large number of these are operated by private universities and educational trusts.
Though these private engineering colleges are accredited to the All India Council for Technical Education, several do not meet even the basic required standards of education.
Hence, their graduates fail to find good jobs despite holding engineering degrees.
Some private engineering colleges were also involved in alleged malpractices of offering seats for students willing to pay hefty amounts of cash through admission agents.
“If you genuinely wish to study engineering for a career, you should definitely consider some of the top colleges we have listed above”.