National Institute of Technology - [NIT], Agartala

Upon joining NIT Agartala, I had a completely different experience from what I expected-

• Accessibility- NIT Agartala is easily accessible. There are flights to Tripura, with discount rates too. There is also a direct train from Tripura to New Delhi. You won’t face any connectivity issues.

• Mess food- The food is very good over there. Contrary to popular belief, you won’t face any problems regarding the food served.

• Location- Tripura is a very peaceful state, and the campus offers a nurturing environment.

• Surroundings- You’ll get fresh air, lots of open space, and good weather conditions at NIT Agartala.

• Infrastructure- The college infrastructure is at par with top IITs and NITs. The hostels are filled with all facilities. Aryabhatta Hostel and Rabindranath Tagore Hostel are top-notch in terms of infrastructure.

• Innovation Incubation Centre- ISRO built an innovation incubation centre at NIT Agartala. This has given the students an opportunity to work with the world’s leading space agency.

• Equipment- The college has advanced equipment like EM, AFM, SEM, FESEM, XRD, Supercomputer, etc. It is difficult to access such machines, even at top institutions like BARC Mumbai and IIT Delhi.

NIT Agartala is probably underrated because people assume that its location and eating habits are very different. It is assumed that Tripura is inaccessible, and suffers communal riots. But all of these assumptions are baseless. 

NIT Agartala is a really good engineering college. It deserves much more praise and recognition. I owe all my success to this wonderful institution. 

NIT Agartala is quite old and was established in 1965 as Tripura Engineering College. As a student of this institution, here are my honest reviews of it-

• Academics- The college offers average academics, but research facilities are lacking. But like other central government colleges, it receives good funding. The faculty is below average and students mostly depend on self-study. CSE, ECE, EE, ME, and CIVIL are good branches that you can opt for at this institution. The curriculum is at par with top institutions. 

• Hostels and Facilities- The facilities are top-notch. Libraries are well-maintained with one being a completely digital library. Workshops and labs are well-equipped and have virtual class facilities. NITA hosts a supercomputer, and ISRO established an innovation incubation centre on campus. The college has good wifi and sports facilities. The hostels are quite good but the mess food is below average.

• Location and Connectivity- Agartala is a developed but remote city. Air is the main means of connectivity because rail connectivity is quite poor. NITA is in a remote area, 23 kilometers away from the city, but buses, autos and vans are available. 

• Placement- CSE placements are average, but this is not the case with other branches. Because of its remote location, the college is visited by few companies. IT companies like Infosys, IBM, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, etc. visit for mass recruitments. Product-based IT companies like Samsung, Oracle, Info Edge, etc. also hire students. Non-IT companies like MuSigma, L&T, Kirloskar, Vedanta, etc. are also seen during the placement season. PSUs visit towards the end of the placement season. Just the top students can expect to be offered placements. 

Overall, NIT Agartala is a good college with low placements. Based on this information, you can decide whether or not to opt for it.

Before joining NIT Agartala, even I had many misconceptions about this institution. These were mostly regarding the connectivity, environment, culture, diet, infrastructure, faculty and placements.

Now that I have experienced life at NITA, I am in a position to break these misconceptions about NITA and NITS-

• Lack of connectivity- Maharaja Bir Bikram airport is just 26 km away from NIT Agartala, and Jirania railway station is just 3 kilometers away. NIT Silchar is just 35 km away from Silchar Airport, and the railway station is 10 km away from the campus. These towns have an absence of traffic jams and efficient transport services.

• Terrorism problem- This is a complete myth. Both Agartala and Silchar are really peaceful places.

• Culture and People- No, the people aren’t ‘uncivilized’. Tripura has one of the highest literacy rates in India. Silchar is an eminent trading center and knowledge hub in the Northeast. Both have medical colleges, research centers, and central universities. 

• Infrastructure- NIT Agartala has one of the most advanced infrastructures among Indian colleges. NITS has all the infrastructural facilities. Some facilities included in NITA and NITS are- Supercomputers, Scanning electron microscope, and ISRO innovation incubation centre (NITA). NITS has Asia’s largest digital library. Besides that, both have good workshops and labs, a modern sports complex, auditoriums, restaurants, wifi facility, a swimming pool and a gym.

• Placements- Both offer decent placements. The average package goes to around 5-7 LPA for them. 

• Food- The food at mess is good. It caters to the dietary needs of people from all across India, and even foreign lands.

• Faculty- The faculty is excellent at NITS. At NITA, some teachers aren’t good while others are very helpful and learned. 

I hope that you will consider NIT Agartala and NIT Silchar for your higher studies. Both are very good colleges. 

First I would like to tell you about some pros and cons of NIT Agartala-

Pros -

1. Peaceful and green campus spread across 350 acres.
2. The weather in Agartala is great.
3. Dedicated canteens for various foods- South Indian, North Indian, Bengali, etc. on campus.
4. Decent placements that are improving each year. Companies like SAP Labs, Oracle, Samsung R&D, Book MY Show, Huawei, Amdocs, Tata Motors and Maruti visit our campus during the placement season.
5. Top-notch infrastructure. Some highlights of the same are Supercomputers, EM, AFM, FESEM, XRD, Scanning electron microscope, and ISRO innovation incubation centre. 

Cons-

1. Agartala is remotely located. So you won’t have access to Dominos, Pizzahut, Fun Cinemas and malls.
2. The campus is located in the hills with poor roadways. So transportation is a major issue. 

NIT Agartala is one of the fastest-growing NITs. Don’t reject it simply for its geographical location. Based on my experience, NITA is better than most private engineering colleges and half of the NITs.

One of my friends was in a similar dilemma when he got both NIT Silchar and NIT Agartala. Since both the colleges are located in the North-East, many relatives and adults advised him to look for another institute. He decided to contact a senior and after a healthy discussion with a 4th year senior at NT Agartala, he decided to join the college.

Most of his batchmates are from Bihar and UP. A few are from Bhopal and Kolkata too. Around 30 to 50 students in every branch are from the South. The locals are very friendly and outgoing.

Today, he feels proud to be a part of North-Eastern College despite being from UP. He got the opportunity to experience diverse cultures and traditions. Moreover, the place is the perfect getaway from the scorching summer heat. The infrastructure is infused with natural beauty and makes the ambiance serene. 

Overall, Agartala is a very peaceful place and has a huge non-North-Eastern intake so your security isn’t a big concern here. 

Sadly no. NIT Agartala is nowhere near the top NITs. To understand this better, let’s divide all the NITs into 5 levels

• Level 1:  NIT Trichy, NIT Surathkal, NIT Warangal, NIT Allahabad
• Level 2: NIT Nagpur, NIT Calicut, NIT Rourkela
• Level 3:  MNIT Jaipur, NIT Bhopal, NIT Surat, NIT Durgapur
• Level 4: NIT Silchar, NIT Kurukshetra, NIT Agartala, NIT Hamirpur, NIT Raipur, NIT Jalandhar, NIT Jamshedpur, NIT Patna, NIT Srinagar
• Level 5: All the new NITs founded in or after 2010

So NIT Agartala falls in the 4 category. The main reason for its poor reputation is its location in the North East. It’s also the reason why it does not get much limelight despite being a very established engineering college and one of the old NITs.

Based on the experience of a friend here are some points regarding NIT Agartala

• Honestly, NIT Agartala is not at par with the standard of the Institute of National Importance. The administration and faculties do not give students access to the facilities.
• Most of the faculties have no teaching abilities , and there is a huge communication gap between students and professors.
• Students are not allowed to do projects from the second year and it's also very hard to get a good CGPA. 
• Only the CSE and ECE departments have modern infrastructure and the rest of the departments are not taken care of. There is also bias in how students of different branches are treated. 
• The hostel facilities of the institute are excellent and the buildings are beautifully designed. However, students are restricted from bringing basic electrical equipment to boil milk, water, and heat Maggie.
• The tender of the mess food always goes to the same company and students constantly lodge complaints regarding the quality of the food.
• The institute has a 75% attendance policy that many find illogical and rigid.

Overall, NIT Agartala will give you a lot of good memories and friends but is still lacking on the academic front. 

One of my cousins recently completed his BTech in CSE from NIT Agartala so I have a slight idea about the branch. Many big brands as well as startups visit the campus to recruit students. Students receive internship opportunities both in and outside India. Moreover, many projects were published at conferences in the areas of Machine learning and Natural Language Processing.

NIT Agartala CSE has churned out many successful engineers. Now coming to your question, the reason NIT Agartala is underrated is because of a lack of communication and a preconceived notion that a North-east NIT wouldn't be good enough. The truth is it’s CSE department is facilitated really well and the labs are equipped with modern instruments. The crowd is also very diverse and the overall learning experience is unmatched. 

So, it’s better not to degrade any institute based on false notions. 

My brother is a B. Tech final year student and after having a good discussion on this topic, I think I am the right person to answer your question. There are many reasons why students don't keep NIT Agartala as their first preference 

• While evaluating and comparing colleges, students look at the official rankings to get an idea. Unfortunately, NIT Agartala has a very low ranking. It was ranked 91 out of 200 colleges in India in 2023 by NIRF. 
• NIT Agartala has a deteriorating infrastructure affecting the quality of campus life. There is a shortage of department buildings, labs, libraries, etc. Most of the departments don't have proper labs and equipment affecting the learning experience.
• NIT Agartala has a substandard study and teaching process . The majority of the faculties are underqualified and their teachings are useless. They don’t focus on the technical concepts at all and just deliver bookish knowledge. There is no proper teaching process or any kind of laboratory work
• There is a lot of politics on the NIT Agartala campus. Most qualified students fail to achieve things while below average students excel because of politics. This affects the quality of education.

How I made my point clear!