One of my friends had the same options a few years back and chose Mechanical at PEC. Here are the reasons why.

• The batch size of Thapar is huge. There are almost 500 seats in the Computer Branch.
• The closing cutoff is lower for Thapar University.
• Chandigarh will offer more exposure in comparison to Patiala. You will have more opportunities to prepare for higher studies like M.Tech or MBA.
• PEC is quite reputed among students. It is even considered better than some NITs.
• PEC has a better placement record as compared to Thapar.

Here are the recent placement highlights of the institutes.

Hope this helps you in making the decision.

One of my friends is doing B. Tech at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, so I can provide you with some information about the college and how it functions. 

In the following table, you will get the placement record of B.Tech at PEC.

The placement percentage of B.Tech students at Punjab Engineering College is 93%. In this percentage, all the students who have CGPA above 6.5 are eligible to sit for placement, also included in this. 

Companies that recapture B.Tech students are Exl Services, Alstom, Goldman Sachs, etc. The average package offered to students is below INR 10 LPA. 

Therefore, Electrical Engineering placements for B.Tech students at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, are decent. The package offered to students might be low, but almost every student gets placed.

Aerospace Engineering from PEC is decent. It is excellent if compared to other private colleges, but it is regretful compared to the IITs. The following are the highlights of the program.

The chances for admission in Aerospace Engineering are bitty. The cut-offs of various branches have been fluctuating over the past few years. So, it’s not possible to predict the exact cut-off which will land you in Aerospace Engineering from PEC. The cut-off is generally around 15-19000. If you belong to any quota then getting admission gets easier. 

If you are inclined to Aerospace Engineering, the program from PEC is worth the ride.

It depends upon your choice. A few highlights of both the institutes are below. You can tick on all those points which are in your favor and declare the winner yourself.

HBTI Kanpur:

• Harcourt Butler Technical University Kanpur is a reputed institute in Uttar Pradesh, apart from IITs, NITs, and IIITs.
• HBTI is a home-state institute and has got a University status.

PEC Chandigarh:

• PEC is one of the top institutes in north India.
• It is in Chandigarh, which is a beautiful and competitive city. The quality of students will be excellent. The city is also well-connected through railways and international airports.
• It also has the Deemed University status.
• The institute has a little student diversity because 50% is reserved for Chandigarh quota.

Here’s a brief comparison of the two institutes.

These are the few points you should consider before choosing your institute.

For admission in PEC, you at least need to have 75% in your intermediate exams and cleared the JEE Main cut-off for the institute.

The following table shows the JEE Main Round 1 cut-offs for PEC in 2020: 

*Here, 'other state' is OS, and 'home state' is HS.

Seeing the cut-off rank, you might not get PEC Chandigarh at your mentioned profile.

• With 92.8% in 10+2, you have cleared one basic eligibility for the institute.
• Another eligibility is clearing JEE Mains cut-off for PEC. At the mentioned score of 116 in JEE Main, your rank will be approximately around 55000. This rank cannot get a seat in any of the 6 rounds.

If you are desperate to join this year, then you can search for CSE/ECE branch other institutes, as per your JEE rank. But, if you can have time in your hands, you can give another attempt in JEE Mains.