One of the most persistent questions that hover in the mind of every engineering enthusiast after twelfth grade is whether to seek admission in IIT or NIT. Every student in India trying to enrol for top engineering schools in India must have experienced this thought whether IIT is better than NIT or vice versa.
Unfortunately, only a handful of them know the differences between studying in IIT and NIT. Both institutes are known for offering outstanding quality of engineering education in India and have set benchmarks but there are some key differences that every student should know before preparing for the admission process.
So, here are some of the key differences you will note between IIT and NIT.
The first major difference you will note is that there are 23 IITs in India and 31 NITs. Therefore, NITs are situated across more cities in India than IITs.
There are separate entrance examinations for obtaining admission in IIT and NIT. Here they are:
Those who qualify in JEE Mains are eligible for admission to NITs but for IITs, students must also qualify in JEE Advanced. The number of seats in IITs is over 16000 and NITs have over 37000 seats.
The Indian Institute of Technology is a public technical institution under the Central Government and situated across different Indian cities. Currently, there are 23 IITs in India that are owned by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The IITs are known for imparting the highest quality of technical education in the country and have come to institutes of national importance, given their responsibilities, governance structures, and powers. Being one of the leading technology institutions, they are listed under The Institutes of Technology Act of 1961. Each IIT is an autonomous body and linked to the rest through the IIT Council that is responsible for governing one of the top engineering colleges in India.
The National Institute of Technology is a public technical institute that is owned by the central government and rub by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. Presently, there are 31 NITs that are recognised as institutes of national importance, given their tasks, powers, and governance. Each NIT is autonomous but linked to each other and managed by the Government of India and Council of NITSER that support all the NITs across the country.
The IITs receive more funds compared to the rest of the engineering colleges in India. Apart from the grants the IITs receive from the Central Government, the other sources of funding include the alumni contributions, grants through industry research and student fees.
There is no denying that the educational standard of IITs is far superior to NITs in terms of the courses offered and their scope. The institutes across the country boast of some of the most coveted teachers delivering technical knowledge in their unique teaching styles that boosts the career prospects of students far ahead than the rest. Here is a list of the bachelor degree courses offered by IITs ad NITs in this country.
IIT – B.Tech, B.Arch , B.Sc
NIT – B.Tech, B.Arch
The infrastructure of IITs is highly advanced with state-of-the-art classrooms and practical laboratories. NITs too have well-equipped and updated facilities but not as advanced as offered in the former. Hostel facilities are available in NITs and IITs.
Both IITs and NITs have a fair spread of extra-curricular activities but the level of competition is much higher. The institutes in both arrange various hostel competitions each year in the category of sports and various other activities. Both allow their skilled students to participate in those activities and reveal their talent. There are separate music and dance groups, bands, and drama teams that practice and participate in various events throughout the year.
The Indian Institute of Technology is regarded as one of the top-ranked and prestigious colleges in India. It is one of the top engineering colleges in India where the primary focus lies on research-based education that prioritises scientific ad academic research. The admission procedure of IIT is merit-based and highly competitive and the cut-off percentage varies for all the institutes located in different cities. They are well-funded by the central government and have a huge and influential alumni network across the globe.
The National Institute of Technology comprise colleges that are well-known but do not rank globally as much as the IITs do. The standard of education across the 31 institutes situated in Indian cities is application-based and they prioritise industry-relevant skills. The admission procedure to NITs is also competitive but they admit more students based on various categories and quotas. However, they do not receive such high levels of finding as the IITs do. NITs may have a huge alumni network but they are not as well-known as of IITs.
The placement packages of IITs is around 20 to 30 lakhs INR each year and those of NIT is around 10-15 lakhs INR. However, the packages tend to differ based on the potential and skills of various candidates. If you compare the placement of both, IITs certainly have an edge over NITs. IITs and NITs are two of the most highly regarded technical education institutes in India offering course programmes in engineering and science streams. However, there are some major differences between both that we have highlighted here. Both offer quality education and define the career paths of thousands of engineering aspirants in this country. At Azad Group of Educational Institutions, our engineering courses and placement assistance prepare the leaders of tomorrow. Take a sneak peek at https://www.aiet.ac.in/ to learn more about our course programmes.
The course fees of IIT are much higher than NIT. Similarly, the hostel and admission fees of NITs are cheaper than IITs.
Among the NIT institites, the number one ranking goes to NIT Trichy.
IITs offer higher placement packages and higher starting salaries than NITs.
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