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.

I have friends from both Thapar and HBTI, so I think I can answer this question.

• Thapar is a private university, so naturally, it has better infrastructure.
• HBTI, on the other hand, is one of the oldest institutions of the country and at the same time has gained much reputation among the students. It also has an extensive alumni network.
• Also, the chemical branch at HBTI Kanpur is well-known among students for its highly qualified and skillful faculty members.

Here are the recent placement highlights of the institutes.

If you are aspiring for chemical technology or related branches then go for HBTI Kanpur and if you want to pursue some core courses then Thapar University is the best option.

I have a friend studying at IET Lucknow from the Civil branch. I will not be able to tell you about HBTI but I can guide you in the case of IET.

• The mechanical branch of IET is the best in the entire college in terms of studies.
• The faculty of the mechanical department is the best and you would not regret pursuing B. Tech in mechanical engineering from IET Lucknow. The faculty teaches better than what the students are taught in coachings (as per mechanical students).
• But as far as placement is considered, it is almost nil. The only companies that visit are from the IT sector. Even if a core company visits (rare chance), just a few students get placed. So, I would recommend you not to join IET if your parameters are good placements.
• Considering the college tag, HBTI is a renowned college but IET is also not unfamiliar. IET is well known among IIT professors.

The following table shows the placement statistics of both institutions:

Being from IET is also not bad, though not comparable to being from Harcourt.

The answer is definitely yes as the Indian Institute of Engineering and technology is more than 60 years older than Harcourt Butler University. Both the colleges have rich heritage and have contributed immensely to the development of information technology in India.

The prominent factors which make IIEST better than HBTU are :

• Alumni - IIEST has a more renowned base of alumni ranging from USA world’s Greatest Structural Engineer to reputed researchers, scientists, educators and professors. HBTU has not a very attractive list of alumni in the domain of information technology.

• Placement - The placement details of both the colleges are as follows:

HBTU offers a higher package but the number of individuals getting that package is very less. Also, the average package is less as compared to IIEST. It also attracts more core recruiters than HBTU.

• Curriculum - IIEST has an updated & dynamic syllabus as it has to keep at par with the standards in the market. It also holds top ranks in the research parameters in several domains. The allocation of funds by the government has also made it even easier.

IIEST, therefore, makes a way ahead of HBTU due to various reasons but the choice can be easily influenced by other unmentioned factors like location, fee range, and scores in the competing examination.

I have quite a few friends at VJIT Mumbai, so I can speak for the institute. After IITs, it is quite reputed among students. People from outside of Maharashtra may not be aware of VJIT but inside the state being a student of VJIT is a matter of pride. 

If we make a comparison of engineering colleges nationwide, it will be IITs from tier-1, followed by few NITs, and after that colleges such as VJIT for the following tier. 

VJIT is an old institute with a huge brand value. Many reputed MNCs visit the campus for the placement drive. It is less recognized but ‘underrated’ is probably is the wrong word to describe it. 

The following factors are the reasons who most people are not familiar with the institute. 

• It is a state college, that limits its appeal to a great extent. Students, parents, and media all alike give far more important to national colleges/institutions by default.
• As students outside of the state of the institute do not know about the college, they do not apply and thus the diversity is heavily skewed.

So, VJIT may not have national recognition but it is quite reputed inside Maharashtra.

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.

HBTI Kanpur and IET Lucknow offer admission through a state-level entrance exam known as UPSEE. Some sections of the entrance exam have direct questions referred from the NCERT books. Check the following points for subject-wise preparation:

• Chemistry: NCERT books are more than enough as it has every little detail explained very well. Just going through it well enough will be more than enough in the exam. None of the questions in this section are outside of the NCERT textbook.
• Physics: For the theory part, NCERT will be enough however, for the numerical, HC Verma will be a good addition along with the NCERT syllabus. The papers given in the back of the NCERT will give you an idea about the numerical.
• Maths: The NCERT textbook and the practice book will be enough for the regular chapters except for the calculus part. You can also refer to other well-known books like S.L Loni will be useful. 

If your basics are clear and you have done enough practice for the exam, then you can easily score a decent rank in UPSEE. NCERT books will definitely help you cover all the topics in a simplified way and crack the exam.