One of my friends who was a student of AB IIITM has described his journey throughout the course. Following are the points highlighted below.

• In the 1st year, very few students have an idea of what is to be done. Students pursuing IT mostly have no prior knowledge of the stream and no one guided them throughout.
• Students usually spent most of their useful time playing games like CS, watching movies, casual group discussions, etc.
• After the 1st year, most students don’t attend classes with the perception that classes are of no use, and good marks can be easily achieved.
• The actual impact starts in the 3rd year. Serious, hard-working candidates go for internships. Seeing them, average students either start coding and the others start preparation for government jobs (those who think coding is not their cup of tea).
• There is a problem among students that they underestimate themselves in the beginning. Some of them set their target towards only selective companies like TCS, Infosys, etc, which have an easy process of selection. This is a big mistake, in which students assume that companies like Microsoft and Samsung are meant only for a specific set of students. Eventually, students having such an assumption don’t work hard and prepare only for certain companies selectively.
• Some of these students, having such wrong perceptions fail to achieve their goal due to this lack of proper guidance and understanding.

Preparing for two years is enough for you to get a decent job, and no difficult coding skill is mandatory. Preparation can be taken in any domain. At the same time, enjoying college life is extremely important because it is generally the end of the glorious student life, and is to be missed afterward. So, do not set your goal low, and try to enjoy your college years.

Both IIEST and IIITM Gwalior offer CSE and IT as their flagship courses respectively. The deciding factor here is which subject you are more inclined towards.

If you are passionate about CSE, then IIEST is the best option. Being the second oldest engineering college in India; it has an amazing faculty-Student ratio of 1:14 with highly qualified faculties and visiting professors from IITs, NITs, and other renowned Universities. IIEST is ranked 21st for engineering in 2020.

If your interest lies in the IT field, IIITM Gwalior must be your priority. Ranked 100 for engineering by NIRF in 2020, IITM offers IT as its flagship course.

Admission:

IIEST:

• For admission in IIEST, aspirants must clear JEE Main.

• With the ranking of 4165-10909, one can secure admission in CSE at IIEST in the first round.

• Aspirants from the General (PWD) category must secure a rank below 522 for the same course. Whereas students belonging to OBC (Non-creamy layer) must secure a rank within 4,398.

• IIEST offers a total of 120 seats for CSE with the annual Tuition fee of 70,000.

IIITM Gwalior:

• Securing the rank within 9713-14442 in JEE Main will fetch admission in the IT department of IIITM Gwalior.

• Cutoff falls down to 3,800- 6,300 for OBC (Non-creamy layer) and General category students.

• The admission process is carried through JoSAA Counselling and CSAB Special Round.

• IIITM Gwalior offers 262 seats for the IT branch with a yearly fee of 84,325.

Placement statistics:

IIEST:

• Around 100 large to medium-sized companies take part in campus recruitment every year.

• Industry giants including IBM, Microsoft, Maruti, TCS, HSBC Technologies are the top recruiters.

• CSE branch in IIEST has the current placement rate of 72% with 462 students being placed in 2020.

• The average CTC offered for CSE students is 9 LPA with the highest CTC of 39.12 LPA.

IIITM Gwalior:

• 400+ companies participate in the recruitment process every year.

• Top recruiters include Amazon, Expedia, IBM, TCS, HCL, DELL, Paytm, Myntra.

• 90% of the students get placed at top companies with an average salary of 14.58 LPA.

• The highest domestic CTC offered in 2020 is 42 LPA.

Both IIEST and IIITM Gwalior are best in the respective courses offered. The deciding factor here is which branch you find perfect for your interest among CSE and IT.

My brother studies at IIIT M and the coding culture there is not limited to coding, i.e. the competitive coding, there are only a few of these competitive coders but they are quite dedicated and get placed with companies like Google and Microsoft. A lot of exploration can be done in different fields as well. My brother has enrolled in the Integrated Post Graduate (IPG) Course in IT, which is the only branch at IIITM G with 129 seats - a number lower than seats available at other institutes. It is ranked on #100 in the NIRF ranking list. 

Also to be noted are these -

• As you know, due to limited seats, there is a lot of scope for peer-to-peer learning.
• You will discover that your classmates won't stick to just coding, but will also learn more about development too; which would be software development, web development, and Android development.
• A lot of varied events are organized weekly, bi-monthly, or annually by the students' forum called AASF. They hold programming contests and conduct classes for Freshers to introduce competitive programming. These sessions are peer-to-peer interactive ones where seniors and juniors participate in sharing ideas.

AASF is the only club that holds coding competitions, mostly for first-year students, but some programmers turn out to be very good.

The annual programming contest is what coding enthusiasts at the college look forward to. Finally, it depends on whether you are interested in coding and want to truly participate with dedication, if so, your seniors will support you the most. 

IIITM, Gwalior, and NIT, Delhi are two prime institutes of India and are both approved by AICTE. While IIITM is also accredited by NAAC. NIT is accredited by UGC as well. NIRF has ranked IIITM Gwalior and NIT Delhi at 100th and 251st place for Engineering respectively.

Admission:

NIT Delhi offers BTech and MTech programs for CSE, whereas IIITM Gwalior offers a BTech program for the same.

IIITM:

• For BTech CSE students require 75% in 10+2 and valid JEE Main score. In 2019 the closing cutoff was 10780.

• The BTech CSE course costs around 1.49 Lakhs.

NIT Delhi:

• The eligibility criteria for admission to B.Tech. is 75% in 10+2 (PCM) and JEE Main score for M.Tech., students need 60% in B.Tech. and a valid GATE score.

• The course fee for BTech and MTech CSE at NIT Delhi is ?96,866 and 1.99 Lakhs per annum, respectively.

Infrastructure and Facilities:

IIITM: The institute offers hostels with modern facilities, labs, lecture theatres, libraries, computational facilities, auditorium, sports, yoga, canteen, common room, etc. The campus hosts a number of cultural events as well.

NIT: The temporary campus provides a plethora of facilities, including a library, hostels, cafeteria, and shuttle services. The permanent campus will have a great locational advantage.

Scholarships:

IIITM: IIITM scholarships are provided to meritorious students who fulfill some criteria, such as scoring a certain GPA, and maintain the terms and conditions for availing it.

NIT: The institute offers 6 scholarships to students based on socio-economic background, academics, disabilities.

Placement Statistics:

IIITM:

• 90% of students were placed in top recruiting companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, EY, Google, Goldman Sachs, etc.

• The highest and average packages offered were 42 LPA and 14.58 LPA, respectively.

NIT:

• 73% of students were placed from the undergraduate batch with a median salary of 5 LPA.

• Among the PG students, 4 out of 26 were placed with a median salary of 6 LPA.

• Top recruiting companies include IBM, Samsung, Mac Software, Paytm, etc.

IIITM and NIT are excellent institutions and offer decent CSE programs both in terms of academics and placements so choose according to your convenience.

If your interest lies in the IT field, IIITM Gwalior must be your priority. Ranked 100 for engineering by NIRF in 2020, IITM offers IT as its flagship course. IIITM Gwalior is one of the 3 institutions in India with 100% Ph.D. faculties. The campus is equipped with all the required facilities for the overall development of students.

If you are more inclined towards CSE then go for AIT Pune. It is ranked 109 for engineering by NIRF, 2020. AIT has a good faculty-student ratio of 1:14 with highly qualified and experienced faculties.

Admission:

IIITM Gwalior:

• Securing the rank within 9713-14442 in JEE Main will fetch admission in the IT department of IIITM Gwalior.

• OBC (Non-creamy layer) cutoff falls down to 3,800-6,300.

• The admission process is carried through JoSAA Counselling and CSAB Special Round.

• IIITM Gwalior offers 262 IT seats with an annual fee of 1,79,317 INR.

AIT Pune:

• For admission in AIT Pune, aspirants must clear JEE Main.

• Under the ranking of 53,356 (AIT merit list 306) one can secure admission in CSE at AIT Pune in the first round.

• Aspirants must apply separately for AIT Pune counseling.

• AIT Pune offers 120 seats for CSE with an annual tuition fee of INR 1,79,317.

Placement statistics:

IIITM Gwalior:

• 400+ companies participate in the recruitment process every year. Top recruiters include Amazon, Expedia, IBM, TCS, HCL, DELL, Paytm, Myntra.

• 90% of the students get placed at top companies with an average salary of 14.58 LPA.

• Highest domestic CTC offered in 2020 is 42 LPA .

• IT and CSE department holds the record of maximum students being placed every year in IIITM Gwalior.

AIT Pune:

• Around 100 large to medium-sized companies take part in campus recruitment every year.

• Industry giants including Amazon, Microsoft, Mtatva Are, FIGmd, HSBC (Premium), ION Trading, Jaro Education, Societe Generale, Upcurve Software are the top recruiters.

• CSE branch in AIT Pune has a current placement rate of 97% with 462 students being placed in 2020.

• Average CTC offered for CSE students is 7 LPA with the highest CTC of 39 LPA.

• 5 students have been placed in Amazon this year with a CTC of 28LPA.

Both Universities are best in respective branches. It is the students who have to decide which is best for them!

The integrated degree program at IIITM Gwalior offers two formats; B.Tech + MBA and B.Tech + M.Tech. While most students might not go for the dual degree, it does offer an advantage over other degrees in the following terms:

• Students can save one year of master’s degree as integrated programs are of 5 years.
• Students also get the opportunity to opt for other courses that might not be available in mainstream B.Tech programs.
• Students can decide on their masters after the third year; about if they want to pursue an MBA or M.Tech. In this choice, IIITM Gwalior is more famous for its M.tech degree rather than an MBA.
• It also gives students an extra year to prepare for further exams like GSoC, ICPC, and TGMC.
• Students are also allowed to participate in intense and advanced research projects which add value to their portfolio.
• One potential drawback could be that an integrated program does not grant you a specific specialization. Students are only awarded an M.Tech degree. However, this factor does not affect placements and dual degree alumni get the same placement offers as mainstream master’s degree students do.
• The student-faculty ratio in the dual degree program is also high which allows students to get personalized attention by the best research faculty on the campus.

BITSPilani also offers integrated dual degree courses, but the specialization is dependent on the overall performance of the students.

• Students are given CS or M.Sc Bio depending on their performance in the first year of the integrated program. While M.Sc. Bio has a completely different course structure than CS, it does open several different opportunities for a career in foreign countries.
• The Biology department at BITS Pilani is relatively reputed for its famous slogan ‘Biology at BITS is taught in a way where you’ll not have to memorize.’
• For students who wish to pursue only CS for their integrated degree, it is important to know that getting CS in master’s has a ratio of 1:5 as compared to all other courses.
• While purely CS students might not be looking at Bio for their Master’s, an M.Sc. in Bio from BITS is highly reputed and prompts students to go for unconventional career options.

In the end, it completely depends on the student, if they wish to pursue an integrated degree at IIITM Gwalior or BITS Pilani. However, students need to do their ground research on the modalities and course structure of these courses that are offered.