How Many Engineering Colleges Exist in India | Stats up to 2022
Engineering colleges are the landing destination for many high school graduates in India. Engineering comes second, right after Medicine in terms of parental fascination for undergraduate degrees. Hence it is no surprise that a surreal number of Engineering colleges exist in the country. As of 2022, 5926 engineering colleges are functioning under the approval of AICTE.
While MBA takes the spotlight in postgraduate courses in India over courses such as M.Tech., it is not uncommon for Engineering colleges to offer Business Administration degrees. This is a huge business opportunity for the colleges as they can often retain students who joined for B.Tech. via MBA. Top colleges that capitalize on this golden window include KIIT – Bhubaneshwar, Arya College Main Campus – Jaipur, and TIET – Patiala.
Statistics on Indian Engineering Colleges
Engineering colleges are spread throughout the country and are located in almost every state and union territory. Since education is not reserved, engineering institutions can be managed by the Government, private parties, or both under public-private partnerships. The number of engineering colleges in the country is quite astronomical, with a perplexing breakdown.
Government Funded Institutions
When someone says Engineering in India, the first thing that everyone thinks of is “IIT”. People’s admiration for the Indian Institutes of Technology as the ideal paradise for learning is undefeatable. Students as young as 10 years are sent to specific JEE coaching centres for the sole purpose of clearing the exam 8 years later.
There are 23 IITs in India. They are established and managed by the Government and provide undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctorate courses in various sectors of Engineering. Some of these institutes, such as IIT Bombay, Delhi, and Madras, have made a global name for themselves, finding a position in the top 100 internationally acclaimed engineering institutes.
National Institutes of Technology (NITs) are the next level of institutes established under the Government. There are 31 NITs spread all over India.
Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) are focused more on IT-enabled engineering courses. There are 26 out of which the Government controls 5 and 21 are managed under public-private partnerships.
Around 30 Government Funded Technical Institutes do not fall in any category out of the above.
Besides them there are
- 23 – IITs
- 31 – NITs
- 26 – IIITs
- Around 30 – GFTIs
Private vs Public
While there is still a stigma in the country that Government colleges are better than private colleges, it is worth knowing that now 78% of colleges are in the private sector or as private deemed institutions.
Engineering institutes are often provided deemed status by the Department of Higher Education. Famous private deemed institutions include BITS, Pilani and VIT, Vellore.
New private institutions are being constructed every year at an exponential rate as the demand for engineering seats has been higher than ever in the present day scenario.
Breakdown of Number of Institutes Based on Ownership and Management
Engineering institutes can be managed in a number of ways. Private institutes with no affiliation with the Government have been the most common form of institute management, followed by purely Government-owned institutes. All other forms require some level of lobbying between the private and public sectors.
The engineering department has remained largely under the Central Government and not the State Government, even though education is on the concurrent list.
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State-Wise Statistics
Among states, Uttar Pradesh takes the cake for having the highest number of engineering institutes in the entire country. The state is endowed with a huge population and has encouraged the building of higher educational institutions of all specializations.
It is followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Punjab, all affluent states with good engineering academic structures. These states also boast of a high level of literacy, which can both be a cause and effect of the number of colleges.
Rajasthan is, however, a quite unique case, not being highly affluent and not having high literacy. The state has provided a conducive environment for the growth of excellent private engineering colleges, such as the famous BITS, Pilani, Arya College, Jaipur, Manipal University, Jaipur etc.
Excluding Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, states in the North East have less than 15 engineering institutions each. Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 1 engineering institute at Port Blair, the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Institute of Technology.
Number of Seats Available
The engineering industry faces huge competition, both in education and employment. Colleges receive a huge number of applications but have very few seats to be filled. Less than 10% of applicants manage to secure seats in elite colleges.
Tamil Nadu has the highest number of enrollments and intake despite being the 3rd highest in the number of engineering colleges. This indicates that Tamil Nadu engineering colleges have more seats than Uttar Pradesh, whose colleges have very few seats.
Top Engineering Colleges as Per Global Standards
Most IITs are recognized globally by renowned education systems belonging to countries such as the USA and the UK. India has managed to place 8 colleges in the top 300 positions of the annual “Best Universities for Engineering” report prepared by U.S.News. The institutions are as follows:
One can notice how IITs are singlehandedly carrying Indian engineering education at an international standard. This helps explain the absolute, near unhealthy, glorification of the institutes.
However, even India’s highest-ranking institute obtained a score of just 63.8 out of 100, indicating that Indian educational standards are still far below top international universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Only one private institute has found a spot in the top 300, the esteemed Anna University of Chennai. However, private engineering education has been booming as of late.
Booming Private Institutions
Despite the fascination with IITs, the era of private institutional learning is slowly growing in India. As a result, many private institutions are building technical institutes with modern campuses and facilities.
Famous private institutes such as BITS have been making their rounds all over the country, opening branches in different states. However, certain colleges that the Government does not deem have continued to hold their footing in their home state. These colleges form the backbone of quality, affordable regional education. There are more than 3000 such institutes in India.
Examples of private institutes include PSG College of Technology, Tamil Nadu, Arya College Main Campus, Rajasthan, etc.
Also Read – Build your career with the best engineering college
The Bottomline
Statistically, the engineering field has had more institutions than any other specialization. With the advent of information technology, the number is destined to go nowhere but up. Therefore, one can expect significant growth in the engineering education sector in the coming years, along with more courses and enrollments.
