Best Engineering Colleges in Karnataka: Ranking, Fees, Placements, Admission 2026

Karnataka has 350+ BTech colleges: 250+ are private, and 40+ are government-owned. NIT Surathkal, Ramaiah Institute of Technology, IIT Dharwad, and IIIT Bangalore are Karnataka's top-ranked engineering colleges by NIRF 2025. But there are more options for B.Tech in Karnataka. There are good specialisations in addition to CSE and Electronics and Communication Engineering. Some have low entrance score requirements, quicker admissions, and good placement options.

Find the best engineering college in Karnataka with this guide. 

Best Engineering Colleges in Karnataka: Highlights 2026

Karnataka stands out as a complete destination for engineering education and jobs. The fee ranges differ by college infrastructure and specialisations offered. See table below.  

Parameters	Details
Number of Total Engineering Colleges in Karnataka	350+
Fee range of top Engineering colleges in Karnataka	INR 21,000 - INR 30 lakh
Top BTech specialisations offered in Karnataka colleges	CSE Mechanical Engineering Electronics and Communication Engineering Civil Engineering
Accepted Entrance Exams	KCET COMEDK UGET JEE Main, etc.

Source: Official site and may vary.

Predict your chances here: Engineering Cutoff Predictor

NIRF Ranking 2025 of BTech Colleges in Karnataka

NIRF ranks colleges every year. The ranking is based on various parameters, and rankings change year by year, depending on the performance of colleges and universities. See the table below for the top 5 Engineering colleges in Karnataka with NIRF ranking over the past two years.

Top Colleges	NIRF 2024	NIRF 2025
NIT Surathkal Ranking	17	17
Manipal Institute of Technology Ranking	56	59
IIIT Bangalore Ranking	74	69
Ramaiah Institute of Technology Ranking	75	75
Christ University Ranking	93	76

Note: NIRF is yet to publish the rankings for 2026. 

Read more about entrance exams accepting Engineering colleges in Karnataka:

• Engineering Colleges in Karnataka Accepting KCET
• Engineering Colleges in Karnataka Accepting COMEDK UGET

Eligibility Criteria for Admission to the Best Engineering Colleges in Karnataka

Admission to the top Karnataka BTech colleges can vary from college to college. Candidates can see below the eligibility criteria of the top Engineering colleges in Karnataka -

• Candidates must have passed Class 12 with PCM with a minimum of 45-60% aggregate marks
• Candidates must clear an entrance exam like KCET, COMEDK UGET, JEE Main, etc.

Exam Schedule 2026 of Top Karnataka Engineering Colleges

To get admission to the top Engineering colleges in Karnataka, candidates must meet the eligibility criteria or pass an entrance exam. Listed below are the most accepted entrance exams with their schedules.

Private Engineering Colleges in Karnataka

Private Engineering colleges in Bangalore are Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Manipal Institute of Technology, IIIT Bangalore, etc., are known for good placements, infrastructure, and diverse specialisations, often affiliated with VTU but also taking JEE Main or COMEDK scores.The table below shows the private Engineering colleges in Karnataka along with their total tuition fees and accepted entrance exams -

Private Colleges	Total Tuition Fee
DSU - Dayananda Sagar University B.Tech Courses	INR 12.88 lakh - INR 17.4 lakh
Ramaiah Institute of Technology B.Tech Courses	INR 2.59 lakh - INR 13.35 lakh
Manipal Institute of Technology B.Tech Courses	INR 6.09 lakh - INR 13.72 lakh
IIIT Bangalore B.Tech Courses	INR 11.52 lakh - INR 26.3 lakh
Jain University B.Tech Courses	INR 7 lakh - INR 8 lakh
Siddaganga Institute of Technology  B.Tech Courses	INR 3.86 lakh - INR 10.46 lakh
NMIT B.Tech Courses	INR 5 lakh - INR 14 lakh
PES University Bangalore B.Tech Courses	INR 16.5 lakh - INR 22 lakh
KLE Technological University B.Tech Courses	INR 1.2 lakh - INR 16 lakh
NIE Mysore B.Tech Courses	INR 2.8 lakh - INR 5.2 lakh

Source: Official site and may vary.

ROI of Best BTech Colleges in Karnataka

Top BTech colleges in Karnataka like NIT Surathkal and IIT Dharwad have the highest returns. Other private engineering colleges across Bangalore also deliver good career outcomes. See the fee-to-salary ratio below. 

College Names	Total Tuition Fee for B.Tech	Median Package
NIT Surathkal Placement	INR 5 lakh	INR 14.21 LPA
International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore Placement	INR 11.5 lakh - INR 26.3 lakh	INR 33 LPA - INR 38.36 LPA
BS College of Engineering Placement	INR 64,680 - INR 40 lakh	INR 8.24 LPA
RV College of Engineering Placement	INR 1.28 lakh - INR 70 lakh	INR 10 LPA
IIT Dharwad Placement	INR 8 lakh	INR 10 LPA

Source: Official site and may vary.

Top 5 Low Fees Engineering Colleges in Karnataka

Government Engineering colleges are more affordable, like PES College of Engineering, Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, University of Mysore, compared to top private ones, with specific ranking and fee details dependent on annual data. Candidates can see the table below for the top top affordable BTech colleges in Karnataka with fees less then INR 1 lakh -

Affordable BTech Colleges	Tuition Fee
BMS College of Engineering Fees	INR 64,680
PES College of Engineering Fees	INR 84,270
Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering Fees	INR 45,000
University of Mysore Fees	INR 21,400
Shree Devi Institute of Technology Fees	INR 85,500

Source: Official site and may vary.

Government Engineering Colleges in Karnataka

NIT Surathkal is the best engineering college in Karnataka, as per NIRF ranking. It outranks IIT Dharwad and IISc. Overall, the most affordable government fees for engineering in Karnataka starts from INR 45,000. The table provides the course links and fees of the best govt engineering colleges in Karnataka. Note that these have higher competition than most private colleges above through JEE Main.

Public/Government Colleges	Total Tuition Fee	Entrance Exams
NIT Surathkal Courses	INR 5 lakh	JEE Main, KCET, etc.
IIT Dharwad Courses	INR 8 lakh	JEE Main, JEE Advanced, KCET, etc.
Indian Institute of Science B.Tech Courses	INR 8 lakh	JEE Advanced
Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, JSS STU B.Tech Courses	INR 45,000 - INR 10.4 lakh	KCET

Source: Official site and may vary.

Semi-Government Engineering Colleges in Karnataka

The IIITs in Raichur and Dharwad also remain the best choices for BTech specialisations in Information Technology. These are officially Institutes of National Importance like the NITs and IITs in India.  

Public-Private Colleges	Total Tuition Fee	Entrance Exam
IIIT Raichur B.Tech Courses	INR 10 lakh	JEE Main, KCET
IIIT Dharwad B.Tech Courses	INR 12 lakh	JEE Main, KCET

Source: Official site and may vary.

Specialisations Offered by Best Engineering Colleges in Karnataka

Karnataka Engineering colleges offer many specialisations. CSE, ECE, ME, and Civil Engineering are the most popular. See below. 

Top Specialisations	Top BTech Colleges in Karnataka
Computer Science Engineering	290+ (NIT Surathkal, MAHE, Ramaiah Institute of Technology, etc.)
Electronics & Communication Engineering	260+ (Ramaiah Institute of Technology, IIIT Bangalore, IIT Dharwad, etc.)
Mechanical Engineering	250+ (NIT Surathkal, IIT Dharwad, RV College of Engineering, etc.)
Civil Engineering	230+ (IIT Dharwad, Jain University, NITTE Meenakshi Institute of Technology, etc.)
Electrical Engineering	150+ (MAHE, Ramaiah Institute of Technology, PES University, etc.)

Compare Best Engineering Colleges in Karnataka

See how the different colleges for engineering in Karnataka compare against each other with these links.

• NITK Surathkal Comparison
• IIIT Bangalore Comparison 
• RV College of Engineering Comparison 
• BMSCE Comparison

Aquib Rahman08-18-2026 21:25