Recommended CS Programs Outside IIT System

1. IIIT, Hyderabad


2. NIT, Calicut


3. BITS, Pilani


4. Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh


5. NIT, Hamirpur

I consider IIIT, Hyderabad as the best alternative to IITs (from amongst the colleges I know or I have been told of). This Institute is already competing with IITs on attracting faculty, and I am sure very soon they will start competing on attracting students also. (I believe that they are already getting students who are as good as those in IITs.

About NIT Calicut  : Almost every faculty member in the department had a degree from either an IIT or IISc. Thry do hire people who have a BTech degree, but then ask them to do graduate education from outside. In most colleges, they run graduate programs (MTech or PhD) primarily to ensure that their own faculty members can get part-time graduate degrees. But this in-breeding is dangerous for the quality of a department. The maintenance of the campus is great. In  NIT C, all the buildings looks good from the outside, and  they put a coat of paint frequently to ensure that the buildings do not look ugly. The infrastructure is very good, and is one of the few colleges who have actually used up the grants given to them under the TEQUIP program. The faculty is very cohesive. They have resisted the temptation of starting a program on IT. (Why shouldn't CSE and IT departments be merged in all NITs ? There is hardly any difference in the programs, and these differences can be handled by offering electives.)

I also admire BITS, Pilani for a lot of innovation that they have been doing in the engineering education. Whether it is the one semester training (Practice School) in the industry, or their online entrance exam, they always seem to be a step ahead of others in the new ways of doing education. They have an excellent dual-degree program, more flexible than any IIT can boast of. They are accredited by NAAC. They also have a very significant presence in distance education sector. While IIMs will keep talking about opening campuses abroad, BITS has gone ahead with a campus in Dubai. They also have a campus in Goa, and are working on a campus in Hyderabad. Of course, one concern that I have is whether BITS is spreading itself too thin by growing so fast. Also, their focus on research seems less than other top class institutes in the country.

A college which was always considered good, but has improved significantly in the last couple of years is Punjab Engineering College or better known as PEC. In 2004, PEC gained Deemed University status, and since then has undergone a complete transition in its academic processes. Its Director, Prof. Vijay Gupta (from IIT Kanpur) is a visionary, and has fantastic leadership qualities. To me, his presence in PEC is enough to place them in this list of mine. Of course, the college was not an unknown quantity earlier also. Around 2001, news reports had suggested that PEC will be one of the colleges selected for an upgrade to the status of an IIT. Politics play a big role in these decisions, and another committee chose another set of colleges for a possible upgrade. The college requires each student to have its own laptop (bulk discounts, loans, scholarships available for poor). This is something which is very signficant, and I doubt whether any other government college of engineering has this as a requirement. It is a gutsy decision, and I admire PEC for that. They have a good curriculum that allows students sufficient breadth as well as depth without overloading them. The infrastrcuture is good too. The faculty needs to be strengthened further.

If one were to look four years from now and say which college has the best chances of breaking into top 10, I have no doubt in my mind that that college has to be NIT Hamirpur. Besides being the most beautiful campus that I have visited (and I have visited more than 100 colleges in the country), the improvements are everywhere to see. You talk to anyone and they have a story to tell, a story of change, a change for the positive. The infrastructure improvement (computers, Internet bandwidth, buildings, and everything else) are taking place at a very fast place. It is no longer a sleepy NIT, with no link to the outside world. Now they welcome visitors from other NITs, IITs, and everywhere else. And once you go there, you are bound to fall in love with the campus. The curriculum has seen major changes (for the good). There is focus on hiring more faculty. They are starting new MTech programs. They are starting to build relationships with their alumni. Everything that a college can and should do is being done at NIT Hamirpur, and I am sure they will be in the top few soon. So if you are looking for a college which has less brand equity now (and hence easier to get into) but is likely to have a good name when you graduate, my bet will be on NIT Hamirpur.