Having a friend who is a student of NITA and attended the counseling of AKTU I think I might be able to answer your question.

He was in a similar situation as you are in right now. His UPTU rank was around 2800 and his JEE Main rank was around 33000.

• According to some research I did, I think NIT Agartala is much better than IET Lucknow in terms of both core and CSE/ IT branches.
• NIT Agartala has been ranked as the top 75th engineering college by NIRF.
• In terms of CSE/ IT branches, the placement scenario at NIT Agartala is much better compared to IET Lucknow.
• In terms of core branches, the placement record is also very good.
• The average package is around 5 to 6 lakh per annum in core branches.
• The top companies that recruit students from IET Lucknow include Byju's, Unacademy, Airtel, Idea, BSNL, Wipro, TCS Digital, TCS Ninja, etc.
• The top companies that recruit students from NIT Agartala are Google, Microsoft, and many service-based IT companies.

But if you are a resident of Uttar Pradesh and want to study nearby your location then you can go for IET Lucknow.

I have friends from both IET Lucknow and KNIT Sultanpur and according to them, you will not get any of IET Lucknow or KNIT Sultanpur with this rank. Your OBC rank will not be of any help as selections in the spot round are done based on the general rank and there is no reservation. Also, at IET/KNIT, seats for core branches like CS/EC/ME, fill up first. 

If you are a fresher then I will suggest you take a year drop and appear for various entrance exams next year and, if you are not a fresher then, you can go to other colleges. You will not get the atmosphere like IET Lucknow anywhere else, and hence, taking a year drop will be the best in any case. The environment is very competitive at IET Lucknow. Even KNIT Sultanpur lags in this case. The location of IET Lucknow is perfect for coaching for exams like CAT, GATE, IES, IAS, etc.

Visit the official websites, to get the detailed information regarding the cutoff required at these institutes. 

One of my friends is a recent alumni of the institute. According to him it is a really good institute. Let me share his experience which might help you get to know the college better.

• A few years back, IET Lucknow offered MBA only in HR, Marketing, Finance, IT, and IB.
• In case you want to go for IT or IB, you might have to study yourselves, without the assistance of the faculty.
• The professors are usually supportive and extremely co-operative. However, their pedagogy is not as best as you can possibly anticipate. Most of the faculty is contract based.
• Fundamentally, the HOD and the office boy are possibly the only permanent members of the institute.
• The fees, however, are extremely low. It is 60,000 to 70,000 for a period of 2 years.
• You should obtain a very good rank so as to enroll at IET Lucknow. My friend mainly secured the position of 72nd in the general category.
• The placements for MBA students is not particularly the best.

You can choose enrolling at IET Lucknow since it is better than most other other institutes located in vicinity of it. Since IET Lucknow is also affordable, the general pressure of loans usually gets off the shoulders of students.

According to my friends studying at IET Lucknow,Electronics & Instrumentation (EI) Engineering is not a core engineering branch at all while Chemical Engineering is close to being called a core engineering branch.

Now coming to the placement scenario –

• Civil Engineering – Only 1 company visited and paid a salary of INR 4 LPA
• Mechanical Engineering – Only 1 company came and probably it was open for other colleges as well. It took 2 students in total
• EI Engineering – Only 1 company came which was also not a major company and it also took only 2 students
• Chemical Engineering – No company visited the campus

The placements happen in good numbers only for CSE and IT departments. But the placement packages are still less. So most of the students focus on clearing competitive exams such as GATE, IES, CAT, and others.

The harsh reality of IET Lucknow is that you may not even get a single interview experience if you are from the above-mentioned branches. The college is improving under the leadership of the new director but still, there is a long way to go.

If you talk of GATE performance, then EI and chemical engineering always perform much better than other branches.

There is no dress code at IET Lucknow. You can wear anything except sleepers, a nightdress, and anything that isn't appropriate for classes. However, I will suggest that you dress up smartly always as long as you can because eventually as you will get along with the later years of engineering.

You will realize that most of the time you will want to simply go to lectures in simple lower and shirts. So my suggestion is that as long as you are not being tapped by this feeling, dress up smartly, and you will notice the change in yourself.

Dressing up smartly doesn't mean going for brands and wearing expensive clothing. Live your college life as a student, just a normal life with minimal needs.

Talking about IET Lucknow, it is an older college in Uttar Pradesh. It is known for its branches of CSE and ECE. Also, the placement record of the college is good. For recruitment, companies such as Adobe, PayTM, Media.Net and D.E. Shaw, and others come to campus. The highest package went up to 36 LPA and the average was 7 LPA.

Addressing your question, I would mention that it is possible to switch the branch in IET Lucknow.

• The branch change choice is given when you are done with your first two semesters (1st year).
• The procedure is simple and requires the student to fill up preferences for branch change.
• The branch will be allotted based on a merit list, prepared on the basis of first-year results. You cannot expect the process to happen soon. 
• During this time you have to attend the same lectures of the present stream which leads you to miss lectures of the intended branch.
• Hence, if you are allotted your desired branch you may end up taking examinations without attending many classes. 
• But you can always seek help from your teachers and new classmates.

This was a short brief, if you want to get into your chosen branch such as CSE make sure you are among the top 5-10% of your classmates, for other branches, being in the top 20% shall fetch you a seat.

One of my cousins similarly wanted to secure a seat at IET Lucknow in the 2nd year itself. He mentions that for indeed taking admission in IET Lucknow in the 2nd year, you have to first complete your diploma, and following that, during the 3rd year, you are required to sit for the UPSEE LEET examination.

Depending on the basics of the score you attained in LEET, you can further go on to securing admission at IET Lucknow via lateral entry.

Here is a detailed outlook of the cut off followed by IET Lucknow both in the 2019 and 2020:

Other than that, you should also have a good CGPA, somewhat ranging from 9.0 to above, to obtain a seat otherwise.

Choosing a particular college or a department actually depends on you, and how you want to shape your career ahead. Having known some people who study in both these institutions, I can say that they all have their fair share of strengths and weaknesses. 

I might not be able to help you select one among them, because they are both good in their own ways. So, I will share some information about them which might help you make the choice.

• ECE at IET Lucknow has one of the finest faculty. They also have a great student crowd.
• HBTU also has highly experienced faculty members.
• Placements at HBTU are also much better than IET Lucknow.
• The enrolled candidates of the GATE exam are really great.
• They also offer a vast alumni network unlike IET.

It is suggested that you go for the more experienced institute, as it will prove to be better for your career ahead. You will get to learn new skills and take part in seminars and industry visits, to get a slice of the corporate world.