Karnataka is one of the most sought-after destinations among engineering aspirants due to several reasons. From being home to India’s first engineer Sir M Visvesvaraya to housing the Silicon Valley of India, the state has always had a long-standing history with technology and innovation.
Experts, colleges and students explained that the reason behind the high appeal for Karnataka’s technological institutes includes high industry presence, established institutes, better placement rates and so on.
Experts explain
IT-industry veteran TV Mohandas Pai, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Infosys, explained, “The state has a long-established reputation as a centre of technical education, an open welcoming culture, high-quality technical institution and huge job availability. A long history of allowing private technical colleges, an enlightened open policy in higher education and huge job availability in tech in Bengaluru gives the state an upper hand over the rest of the country.”
When asked about what Karnataka is doing to maintain its image in technical education, Pai added that the private institutions in the state have very good placements and keep improving their standards while the state government has also started a programme for upgrading government institutions as per the IIT standards.
Prof K Balaveera Reddy, former Vice-Chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Karnataka, said that Karnataka has always been a pioneer in technical education.
“In the 1970s-1980s, we had more technical institutions, engineering colleges than any other state. People from all over India, even from other countries, were interested in the institutions. Now, a good number of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)-approved colleges have opened up in other states also. Due to this reason, the number of students coming to our state has decreased marginally but many still prefer Karnataka for technical education,” he explained.
Reddy added that the state has a wide industry presence ranging from manufacturing to aeronautical, especially in Bengaluru.
What do students prefer?
Industry experts and veterans have listed a number of reasons why students might prefer an engineering college in Karnataka over other states. But how accessible are Karnataka’s engineering colleges to non-domicile students? Here is what the students say.
“For students outside of Karnataka who want to get into Engineering, COMEDK is the only option. Exams like these show the extent of inclusivity that exists in a state. That's why they are very important for a country like India where good education in most of the states is still in its infancy,” said Tanmay Rajput, a native of Uttar Pradesh and a first-year engineering student studying in Bengaluru.
Students say that since Karnataka has been a tech hub for years, pursuing a technical degree in a place like this has its own obvious advantages. “The difference in quality of education is also very evident. It can be seen by the fact that you'll find students from different parts of India in Karnataka colleges,” Tanmay explained.
Students said that exams like COMEDK give them a second chance to get admission to renowned colleges in the state if they could not perform well in JEE Main.
“Through COMEDK, we can get into RV College of Engineering or MS Ramaiah Institute in Bengaluru, which are comparable to many of the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and other premier institutes. If for some reason, one could not get into a good college through Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), this is a great option,” said Prakhar Sachdev from Chattisgarh who will be appearing for COMEDK this year.
“In JEE Main, the competition is extremely high and if you are not in the top two per cent of the performers, you might not get the college of your choice. In COMEDK on the other hand, since there is no negative marking or reservation, one still has a chance to score well and get a good college,” he added.
Tanmay added that Bengaluru is said to be a good city for students except for the high living costs as not everyone can afford to live in the city.
Colleges, educators weigh in
The technical institutes and colleges in Karnataka say that there have always been a steady number of non-domicile students taking admission each year.
“In all the colleges, 30 per cent seats are reserved for domicile students. Out of the rest, 40-45 per cent are usually from other states. Instead of coming to Bengaluru after graduation, the students want to study here and be part of this technical ecosystem,” said Dr Sanjay Chitnis, Founding Dean, School of Computer Science and Engineering, RV University, Bengaluru.
Chitnis added that since many colleges in Bengaluru as well as in the rest of the state have started collaborating with industries for internships, guest lectures and seminars, it has also enhanced the quality of education at the colleges.
“Moreover, in the city itself, there are a lot of conferences and workshops happening from time to time that the students can attend. There is international collaboration as well so there is this ecosystem that no other place has,” he added.
Dr T Nageswara Rao, Director, School of Technology, GITAM Bengaluru, said that some of the courses are seeing a huge demand by students from other states.
“Particularly for Computer Science Engineering (CSE), there is a huge demand because of various job opportunities and high-paying job availability in the city. That is one of the reasons that students choose colleges in Karnataka as one of their top preferences. We have also signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various industries to provide better internships,” Rao explained.
Educators say that placement rates in the state colleges are also higher as compared to other colleges pushing more aspirants to move to Karnataka for higher education.
“Colleges like MS Ramaiah, PSERV attracts top companies for campus placements which are in line with NITs and a few IITs. Karnataka colleges are well-known for maintaining quality in teaching and are application driven. This factor too attracts young minds from pan-India to Karnataka,” explained Mahesh Yadav, South India region Head, Allen Career IKarnatnstitute.
