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Sample fact files Colleges apart from IIT which take in students from all over India through an opn-to-all entrance exam have been classified by JAM as 'national' colleges. This is in contrast to state-level engineering colleges where the majority fo seats are reserved for residents of that state. The national colleges include: 1. BITS: Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad (starting 2008). BITS Pilani is an institution over four decades old and built with support from the likes of Ford Foundation and MIT in its initial years. BITS alumni are highly regarded all over the world and the institute attracts top students and recruiters. Goa campus started in 2004 but with the BITS name backing it, the college is rocking in just four short years. The same is thus expected for the Hyderabad campus. Entry to BITS is through BITSAT - which is India's only wholly online admission test for engineering. 2. NITs: Earlier known as "RECs" or Regional Engineering Colleges. As RECs, the institutes depended on both central and stgate governments for funds. In 2002, the central government took over the functioning of thes colleges and upgraded them in terms of infrastructure, administation, research, etc. However they are still perceived to be a step behind the IITs. There are 20 NITs in all. 14 NITs were established between 1959 and 1965, each in a different state. NIT Silchar, Hamirpur and Jalandhar came up between 1970 and 1990. Raipur, Patna and Agartala were established more recently. NITs in the south of India, especially Trichy, Surathkal and Warangal are considered the 'best NITs'. NITs in remote locations such as Agartala, Silchar and Srinagar hold less attraction for students. Like IITs, NITs enjoy good extra curricular facilities and hold annual cultural festivals of a high standard. They also attract high quality recruiters. Entry to NIT is through the AIEEE exam. 50% of seats in each NIT are reserved for stduents of that particular state. For example, 50% of seats in NIT Surat are for students of Gujarat domicile. The rest are allocated as per 'state ranks'. There is also the mandatory SC/ST quota of 22.5% The seat allotment procedure is complex and ever changing. For example, no of seats per NIT per branch offered varies between 60 and 70. Getting a seat in an NIT of your choice with the branch of your choice is very difficult. Thus, despite the fact that NITs offer better facilities and overall exposure many students from metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, etc prefer to join a good college in their cities. This is also because the placement scene in the local colleges has improved considerably of late. IIITs: The third category of 'in demand' national colleges is the 'IIITs' or colleges with exclusive focus on computers. Of these IIIT Hyderabad which began a decade ago is 'at par' with IITs in terms of the kind of jobs students are offered in CS. It is also one of the few institutes where high quality research is undertaken. One problem however is people confusing it with 'IIT'. DAIICT Gandhinagar, IIIT Allahabad and IIITM Gwalior are other good institutes in this category. Other institutes taking AIEEE score: This includes BIT MESRA, SASTRA (Thanjavur), Kalinga (KIIT), CUSAT (Cochin University of Science and Technology), GKV Haridwar, etc. However these attract more students from that region of the country than from all over India. With decent infrastructure and healthy recruitments at engineering colleges across India, studying in a faraway place at a 'good but not truly great' college makes little sense to students. Especially in states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and A.P. with a thriving engineering college scene of their own. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Exam overview: BITSAT BITSAT is the computer based online test for entrance to BITS campuses in Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad. Eligibility Exam Info In 2007, it had 150 questions, 45 in maths, 25 in english and logical reasoning and 40 each in physics and chemistry. BITS had recieved around 85,000 applications in 2007. This is the only engineering entrance exam which is taken on computers and the results are generated on the spot. --------------------------------------------------------------------- AIEEE The All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) is organised by the CBSE in India for admisssion to various under-graduate courses in engineering and architecture. Eligibility Exam Info In 2007, around 650,000 appeared for this exam making it one of the largest such admission exams in the world. --------------------------------------------------------------------- |