An engineering degree is one of the most sought-after academic courses in India. It is a field of study that focuses on using science, technology, and math to develop, construct, and maintain new machines, buildings, pieces of software, hardware, and operational procedures. Since there are several employment options in this discipline across all sectors, nearly every science student has the aspirational ambition of enrolling in one of the top engineering colleges in the nation. 

However, only a small percentage of aspirants are successful in enrolling in such elite universities due to hefty tuition costs and severe cutoffs in various engineering fields. What about students who were as deserving but were unsuccessful in gaining admission to the top IITs or NITs? Some students also end up switching to another career path because their finances cannot bear such high expenses of an engineering course.

Such students should not lose hope as there are colleges which are equally worth joining with affordable fees. You will find in this article a list of the Top Affordable Engineering Colleges in India, together with information on their course fee, selection process, placement, etc. 

Highlights

The table below displays information on engineering colleges in India:

Particulars Parameters
No. of Colleges 4444
Fee < INR 1 lakh: 237
INR 1-2 lakh: 1158
INR 2-3 lakh: 2081
INR 3-5 lakh: 1065
INR 5 lakh: 548
Top Specialisations Computer Science Engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electrical Engineering, etc.
Admission Process Entrance Based: JEE Main, JEE Advance, WBJEE, TNEA, MHT CET, etc.

Selection Criteria To Engineering Colleges

Candidates who want to enrol in a BTech programme must meet the prerequisites established by the colleges. The following list contains the standard requirements for admission to engineering colleges in India:

  • Candidates must have completed Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as core courses in Class 12 with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 60% (the pass percentage may vary per college).
  • Online counselling is used to administer the admissions process, and candidates are assigned seats depending on their performance in the exam that the institute uses to admit students.
  • The process of admission varies from institution to college and is based on merit, a written exam, a group discussion, or a personal interview. 

Entrance Exams Accepted by Engineering Colleges

Admissions to BTech courses take place through national-level/state-level/institute-level engineering entrance exams. Listing Below the top exams accepted by BTech colleges in India:

JEE Main JEE Advanced
WBJEE MHT CET
BITSAT VITEEE
SRMJEE TNEA
AP EAMCET KCET

Top Engineering Colleges: NIRF Ranking

National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranks colleges every year based on various parameters. The rankings vary from year to year based on colleges' and institutions' performances. The list of top engineering schools in India for the previous three years is as follows:

College/University Name NIRF 2021 NIRF 2022 NIRF 2023
Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Madras 1 1 1
Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Delhi 2 2 2
Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Bombay 3 3 3
Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Kanpur 4 4 4
Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Roorkee 6 6 5
Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Kharagpur 5 5 6
Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Guwahati 7 7 7
Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Hyderabad 8 9 8
National Institute of Technology, (NIT) Tiruchirapalli 9 8 9
Jadavpur University 17 11 10

Top Affordable Engineering Colleges in India

Given below is the list of top affordable engineering colleges in India and their fees per year:

Name of University Fees Per Year
Faculty Of Technology And Engineering, Maharaja Sayajirao University Of Baroda, Vadodara INR 7,640
National Dairy Research Institute, karnal INR 8,075
Government College of Engineering Sengipatti, Thanjavur INR 9,395
Jadavpur University, Kolkata INR 10,000
JMI New Delhi INR 16,000
JNTUH Hyderabad INR 18,000
Visveswaraya Institute Of Engineering Technology INR 27,150
Alagappa Chettiar College of Engineering & Technology, Karaikudi(Anna University) INR 32,160
University College of Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad INR 35,000
Andhra University, College of Engineering INR 40,000
AIACTR Delhi INR 40,000
Aliah University, Kolkata INR 52,000
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Kolkata INR 55,000
YMCA University of Science & Technology INR 75,000
NIMS Jaipur INR 80,000
Technocrats Group of Institutions INR 88,000
IGDTUW Delhi INR 1,05,000
Christ College of Engineering and Technology INR 1,16,000
Bahra University INR 1,20,000
DYPCOE Ambi - DY Patil College of Engineering INR 1,23,292
JSS Academy of Technical Education INR 1,37,850

Courses and Selection Criteria

Here is more information about the BTech courses and specialisations that the universities mentioned above offer:

College Name Courses Selection Criteria
Faculty Of Technology And Engineering, Maharaja Sayajirao University Of Baroda, Vadodara BE (9 Specialisations) GUJCET Score + Counseling
NDRI  B.Tech (1 Specialisation) JEE Main Score + JOSAA Counseling
Government College of Engineering Sengipatti, Thanjavur BE (5 Specialisations) TNEA Score + Counseling
Jadavpur University BE (16 Specialisations) WBJEE Score +Counselling 
JNTUH Hyderabad B.Tech (24 Specialisation) TS-EAMCET Score + Counseling
Visveswaraya Institute of Engineering Technology B.Tech, BE (8 Specialisations) CET, COMED–K Score + Counseling
Alagappa Chettiar College of Engineering & Technology, Karaikudi(Anna University) B.Tech, BE (14 Specialisations) TNEA, TANCET Score + Counseling
University College of Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad BE (6 Specialisations) EAMCET rank + Counseling
Andhra University, College of Engineering B.Tech (9 Specialisations) BE (9 Specialisations) AP EAMCET, NATA Scores 
AIACTR Delhi B.Tech (3 Specialisations) JEE Mains Score + IPU-CET counselling.
Aliah University, Kolkata B.Tech (5 Specialisations) WBJEE / AUAT Score + Counselling
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Kolkata B.Tech (5 Specialisations) WBJEE, WB-JELET Score + Counseling
YMCA University of Science & Technology B.Tech (6 Specialisations) JEE Main Score + HSTES Counselling
NIMS Jaipur B.Tech (12 Specialisations) NIMS entrance exam/ JEE Main Score + Counselling
Technocrats Group of Institutions BE (6 Specialisations) JEE Main Score + Counselling
IGDTUW Delhi B.Tech (4 Specialisations) JEE Main Score + Joint Admission Counselling (JAC)
Christ College of Engineering and Technology B.Tech (13 Specialisations) Christ University entrance test + PI + Micro Presentation
Bahra University B.Tech (5 Specialisations) JEE Main/ HPCET Score + Counseling
DYPCOE Ambi - DY Patil College of Engineering B.Tech (4 Specialisations) JEE Main/ MHT-CET Score + Counseling
JSS Academy of Technical Education B.Tech (8 Specialisations) JEE Main

Placement Trends 

Here is information about the placement trends of the universities mentioned above:

College Name Highest Salary (in INR) Average Salary (in INR)
Faculty Of Technology And Engineering, Maharaja Sayajirao University Of Baroda, Vadodara 10.2 LPA 4.5 LPA
NDRI  6.8 LPA 4.5 LPA 
Government College of Engineering Sengipatti, Thanjavur 3 LPA 2.3 LPA
JNTUH Hyderabad 41 LPA 8.5 LPA
Visveswaraya Institute Of Engineering Technology 11.2 LPA 3.5 LPA
Alagappa Chettiar College of Engineering & Technology, Karaikudi(Anna University) 9.3 LPA 2.5 LPA 
Jadavpur University, Kolkata 58 LPA 10.2 LPA
University College of Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad 22 LPA 4.7 LPA
Andhra University, College of Engineering 15 LPA 4.5 LPA
AIACTR Delhi 32.16 LPA 13.5 LPA
Aliah University, Kolkata 10.2 LPA  4.2 LPA 
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Kolkata 12 LPA  5 LPA 
YMCA University of Science & Technology 29.92 LPA 5.5 LPA
NIMS Jaipur 12.02 LPA 4.31 LPA
Technocrats Group of Institutions 85 LPA  5 LPA 
IGDTUW Delhi 59.45 LPA 19.15 LPA 
Christ College of Engineering and Technology 13.12 LPA 5.75 LPA
Bahra University 15 LPA  4 LPA
DYPCOE Ambi - DY Patil College of Engineering 45 LPA 4.8 LPA
JSS Academy of Technical Education 40 LPA 8 LPA 

FAQs

Ques: Which are the top engineering colleges in India?

Ans: Top engineering colleges in India according to the NIRF ranking are:

  • IIT Madras
  • IIT Delhi
  • IIT Kanpur
  • IIT Kharagpur
  • IIT Guwahati
  • NIT Trichy

Ques: What is the eligibility for admission in engineering colleges in India?

Ans: Candidates must have passed Class 12 with a minimum of 60% aggregate from a recognised board with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as core subjects (the pass percentage may vary in different colleges). Admission is based on merit, written exam, Group Discussion (GD) or Personal Interview (PI) and it varies in different colleges.

Ques: Which are the most popular engineering entrance exams in India?

Ans: The most popular entrance exam for studying BTech courses in India is JEE Main. Scoring good marks in JEE Main will help you land in most of the IITs like IIT Madras and IIT Delhi. There are several other state-level examinations like the WBJEE, AP EAMCET, TNEA, etc. which provide a ticket to admission to several state universities. 

Ques: Which field of specialization in engineering is the best?

Ans: Computer science and engineering (CSE) is regarded as one of the best sectors of specialisation because of the excellent career opportunities and high salaries. 

Ques: Which are the most popular specialisations offered by engineering colleges in India?

Ans: Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Ceramic Engineering are the most popular engineering courses in India.

Ques: What are the job profiles offered after completing BTech from engineering colleges in India?

Ans: After earning a BTech from an engineering institution in India, students are eligible for a wide range of career opportunities. Following is a list of some of them:

  • Electronics Engineer
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Computer Programmer
  • Design Engineer
  • Quality Engineer
  • Software Testing Engineer
  • Civil Engineer
  • Manufacturing Engineer

Ques: What is the average salary package after completing BTech in Engineering Colleges in India?

Ans: After completing Engineering, the average salary package in India for the candidate got is between INR 8 LPA- 15 LPA. The top recruiters are Google, Microsoft, MasterCard, Ola, TCS, Larsen and Turbo, Facebook, Flipkart, Adobe, Samsung, Goldman Sachs, Flipkart, Intel, Wipro, Oracle, Cisco, Amazon, etc.