Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), with 15 campuses throughout the country, are perennial favorites to sit atop university rankings. The cream of the crop may be IIT Delhi, which India Today ranked first overall in the nation two years running. As India Today reporter Diksha Madhok explains in the publication’s 2009 ranking, IIT Delhi scores above all others nationwide in reputation, academic input, infrastructure and job placement, while placing second in student care. Significant improvements include an influx of faculty, increased projects and Ph.D. degrees, as well as the launch of a new school of biological sciences, an M.Tech program in Atmospheric, Earth and Ocean Sciences, and a diploma course in Metro Rail Transportation.
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Hauz Khas, New Delhi - 110 016
India
011-91-011-2658-2222
iitd.ac.in
Although IIT Kanpur ranks fourth in the nation and second in North India by a number of published surveys, it actually rises above the rest in terms of job placement. IIT Kanpur attracts recruiters from such heavyweight IT firms as IBM and Amazon, according to Dataquest magazine’s 2009 survey. The school offers engineering degrees in nine fields, including aerospace, computer science, bioengineering, chemical, civil, electrical and metallurgical engineering.
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Kanpur - 208 016
India
011-91-0512-259-0151
iitk.ac.in
IIT Roorkee, which was founded in 1847 and claims on its website to be the “first Engineering College in the British Empire,” surveys as North India’s third-best institution by both Dataquest and India Today. The college offers more than 10 undergraduate degree programs in engineering and architecture. The bulk of its placements come in the electrical and computer science fields, and it boasts recruitment to such industry giants as GE India and Cisco Systems, according to the Dataquest report. IIT Roorkee has also gained some notoriety due to its earthshaking studies on the seismological safety of dams. Several reports were submitted to the Supreme Court, reports the magazine.
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Roorkee, Uttarakhand - 247 667
India
011-91-1332-285311
iitr.ac.in
When it comes to North India’s engineering schools, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani is considered to be in the top four by just about every ranking. This ranking is especially laudable, as it’s a private institution that breaks the mold of public college dominance. This particular institution prides itself on transparency. BITS vice-chancellor L.K. Maheshwari told India Today that "transparency in selection, flexibility in teaching and industrial training in every degree course is what makes BITS rank so high.” The Pilani institution, which offers integrated undergraduate and graduate courses in engineering, mathematics, technology, science and pharmacology, also gets high marks for industrial partnerships that send students abroad for training, a strong faculty and on-site laboratories for such companies as Motorola and IBM.
Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani
Vidya Vihar Campus
Pilani, Rajasthan - 333 031
India
011-91-01596-2450734
bits-pilani.ac.in
Institute of Technology--Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU) Varanasi ranks a solid fifth in North India across the leading surveys. The institute offers engineering degrees in 10 departments, a few of which pioneered degree courses in pharmaceuticals, ceramics, mining and metallurgy. The high scores are due, in part, to the increasing number of recruiters visiting the campus and the fact that nearly every student from those fields is able to find a placement, says the Dataquest report.
Institute of Technology--Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi - 221 005
India
011-91-542-2307001
itbhu.ac.in