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

Karnataka has about 300+ BTech colleges: 250+ are private, and 40+ are government-owned. Of these, 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 among other engineering colleges in Karnataka that could be best for you. Whether it's specialisations beyond CSE and Electronics and Communication Engineering in the state's best, or low entrance score requirements but good placement-rich colleges for B.Tech, you can filter your options at Shiksha better.      

Highlights of the Best Engineering Colleges in Karnataka 2026

Karnataka stands out as a complete destination for engineering education and jobs. The state's industry connectivity and long-term return on investment from a B.Tech degree in India can be better here. 

Particulars	Statistics
Total no. of Engineering colleges in Karnataka	300+
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 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

Source: Official site and may vary.

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 accepting entrance exams with their schedule -

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	Entrance Exams
DSU - Dayananda Sagar University B.Tech Courses	INR 12.88 lakh - INR 17.4 lakh	JEE Main, COMEDK UGET, etc.
Ramaiah Institute of Technology B.Tech Courses	INR 2.59 lakh - INR 13.35 lakh	COMEDK UGET, KCET
Manipal Institute of Technology B.Tech Courses	INR 6.09 lakh - INR 13.72 lakh	KCET, MET, DASA UG
IIIT Bangalore B.Tech Courses	INR 11.52 lakh - INR 26.3 lakh	JEE Main, KCET
Jain University B.Tech Courses	INR 7 lakh - INR 8 lakh	JEE Main, COMEDK UGET, KCET, etc.
Siddaganga Institute of Technology  B.Tech	INR 3.86 lakh - INR 10.46 lakh	JEE Main, COMEDK UGET, KCET, etc.

Source: Official site and may vary.

ROI of Best BTech Colleges in Karnataka

Top BTech colleges in Karnataka include NIT Surathkal, IIT Dharwad, have low tuition fees as compared to good placement package offered, making it the best ROI of top colleges. To know the ROI of each college, one must compare the tuition fees and average salary of the top B Tech college in Karnataka -

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.

Best Colleges for Lateral Entry in BTech in Karnataka

Top Lateral Entry BTech colleges in Karnataka are RV College of Engineering, BMS College of Engineering, M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, and PES University, known for strong academics, placements, and reputation, offering diploma and B.Sc. graduates to join the third semester of engineering degrees in to other colleges. 
Source: External site and may vary.

Government Engineering Colleges in Karnataka

Government Engineering colleges in Karnataka are affordable than private colleges. These colleges are NIT Surathkal, IIT Dharwad, IISc, etc. These B.Tech colleges in Karnataka are tough to get into as their admission process requires good entrance exams scores. Candidates can see the table below for some of the top government B.Tech colleges in Karnataka with tuition fees and accepted entrance exams -

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.
PES College of Engineering B.Tech Courses	INR 84,270 - INR 7.44 lakh	COMEDK UGET, KCET
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

Semi-government engineering colleges in Karnataka often characterised by lower fees than purely private ones while offering good facilities. The table below shows the Semi-government best BTech colleges in Karnataka along with their total tuition fees:

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 diversified specialisations like CSE, ECE, ME, Civil Engineering, etc. Listed below are the top specialisations offered by Karnataka BTech colleges -

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. 

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

Aquib Rahman06-10-2026 19:21