NITK Surathkal Vs IIIT Pune: Which engineering institute is better in CSE?

Indian Express

27-06-2025

The JoSAA Round 2 seat allotment results for JEE Advanced 2025 counselling have been announced. While top-ranking candidates may have secured seats in the IITs, many students who did not make it past the cut-offs still have the opportunity to join some of India's premier engineering institutions such as the 31 National Institutes of Technology (NITs), 26 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and 47 Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) participating in JoSAA this year.
Among the most sought-after courses in these institutions is Computer Science and Engineering (CSE). Here's a look at two such options, namely, NIT Karnataka (Surathkal) and IIIT Pune, across key academic and career-related parameters.
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NIT Karnataka, also known as NITK Surathkal, was established in 1960 as Karnataka Regional Engineering College and was granted NIT status in 2002. The institute is located in Mangaluru, Karnataka, and has a 296-acre campus near the Arabian Sea. Over the decades, it has built a solid reputation in various engineering disciplines, particularly in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering.
In contrast, IIIT Pune was established in 2016 under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. It is currently operating from a transit campus within Pune city, while its permanent campus is under development at Nanoli Tarf Chakan, on the outskirts of Pune. Being a newer institute, IIIT Pune was launched with an emphasis on Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and related emerging fields.
According to the NIRF 2024 rankings, NITK Surathkal is ranked 12th in the Engineering category. It also features within the top 55 institutions across all categories, reflecting its standing in academics, research, and employability outcomes. On the other hand, IIIT Pune did not rank in the NIRF 2024 categories of overall and engineering.
For the 2023–24 academic year, NITK Surathkal's Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) branch reported a highest package of Rs 55 lakh per annum and an average package of Rs 23.24 lakh per annum. The on-campus placement rate for BTech CSE was 83.59%. Major recruiters included Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, and Adobe, among others.
At IIIT Pune, the highest package for the 2020–2024 CSE batch was Rs 43 lakh per annum, with an average package of Rs 13.6 lakh per annum. Recruiters for this batch included Oracle, Persistent Systems, and Elastic Run. The official placement cell reports 100 per cent placement for eligible students in earlier batches, but the exact placement percentage for 2023–24 has not been reported.
NITK Surathkal offers a wide range of academic programs beyond the undergraduate level. These include MTech degrees in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and other engineering disciplines. The institute also offers MBA and MCA programmes and has active PhD programs across its departments, contributing to its research ecosystem.
IIIT Pune currently offers undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) and Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE). At the postgraduate level, it has introduced MTech programmes in Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (AI and IoT) starting from the 2019–20 academic session. It also offers PhD programmes in selected specialisations within computer science and engineering.
At the same time, IIIT Pune has extended the registration deadline for the Post Graduate Admissions in Master of Technology (Without Scholarship) – July 2025 session. The new date is July 5. Applicants are advised to complete their submissions before the extended deadline.