Best Engineering Colleges in Kerala in 2026

Kerala has around 200 engineering colleges – 120+ private and 50+ government, accepting KEAM, JEE Main/Advanced, and other institute-level exams. Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kozhikode are three cities home to top-ranking engineering colleges in India – IIT, NIT, and IIST. 

In addition to these cities, Kerala houses a bunch of good private and government colleges in Ernakulam, Kollam, and Thrissur. Some also accept low entrance cutoffs, offer direct admission through management quota, provide placement benefits, and more. Sort your options below. 

LATEST UPDATES:

• The KEAM 2026 registration window will remain open till Jan 31, 2026, for admission to BE/BTech, BPharma, and other courses. Further, the KEAM exam 2026 will be conducted from April 13, 2026, to April 25, 2026.
• The JEE Main 2026 registrations for session 2 started for admission to the BTech, BArch and BPlan courses. The last date to register for the same is February 25, 2026. Further, the session 2 exams will be conducted from April 2 to April 9, 2026.
• The CUET exam 2026 will be scheduled from May 11 to May 31, 2026. The exam will be held in computer based format.

Best Engineering Colleges in Kerala: Highlights

Kerala has well-known engineering colleges under the state and central governments. Some are private and autonomous, but affiliated with government institutions like KTU. Placements range from INR 4 to 13 LPA, while fees start as low as INR 27K. Check for more details below, based on Shiksha’s current listings. 

Parameters	Statistics
Total Number of B.tech Colleges in Kerala	Total: 198 Private: 128 Public (national & state): 57
Fee Range and Number of B.Tech Colleges	INR 1 to 3 Lakh: 129 INR  3 to 15 Lakh: 50+ Less than INR 1 Lakh: 20+
Top 5 Kerala Colleges for B.tech (based on NIRF 1 to 300 ranks)	NIT Calicut IIST IIT Palakkad College of Engineering Trivandrum Government Engineering College Thrissur
Eligibility + Entrances for Kerala Engg. Colleges Admission	Class 12 PCM with 50 to 75% marks + KEAM/JEE Main/JEE Advanced/Institute-level like CUSAT
Placement Percentage in Top Engg. Colleges of Kerala	90% and above
Average Package Range	~ INR 4 to 16 LPA

Note: These numbers are compiled from the list of engineering colleges in Kerala listed on the Shiksha platform. 

 

Entrances for Government and Private B.Tech Colleges in Kerala: 2026

Kerala engineering colleges usually require entrances such as KEAM (Kerala Engineering Architecture and Medical) for B.tech admissions. This is the state-level exam for all the top engineering colleges in Kerala.

Overall, you can check the 168 colleges accepting KEAM scores. 20+ are located in Thiruvanthapuram, comprising the largest number of government and private engineering colleges for this state exam. 

Best Government B.Tech Colleges in Kerala Accepting KEAM Scores

Around 43 government-owned engineering colleges in Kerala with low to moderate fees accept higher KEAM scores. Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kollam, and Kottayam are the top locations for these. 

Good KEAM scores can help you get into popular B.Tech colleges across various cities in the state. These will have different cutoffs, as well. Check for the 5 popular government colleges offering engineering programmes here.  

1. College of Engineering in Trivandrum
2. TKM College of Engineering in Kollam 
3. MEC College - Government Model Engineering College in Kochi
4. Government College of Engineering in Kannur
5. KTU in Trivandrum 

Check for KEAM Schedule 2026.  

Best Government B.tech Colleges Accepting JEE Main/Advanced 

JEE Main and Advanced are the primary exams for IIT Palakkad. 

IIST only accepts JEE Advanced scores, while NIT Calicut takes in JEE Mains. 
Check schedules:

1. JEE Main schedules
2. JEE Advanced schedules

Entrances for Private Engineering Colleges in Kerala

• CUSAT CAT: This is the exam for most of the programmes for B.tech in Cochin University of Science and Technology in Kochi. 
• AEEE: The is the separate exam for the Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham - Amritapuri Campus. 

Direct Admission in B.Tech Private Colleges in Kerala in 2026

Direct admission in B.Tech private colleges in Kerala is possible through the management quota that’s reserved for candidates as per DTE norms. 

That means, these colleges also accept entrances includng KEAM or JEE Mains, but also have some seats that allow candidates to get into the college through Class 12 marks and other assessments unrelated to entrances. These are mostly self-financing colleges, and are generally affiliated under KTU, and granted by UGC.  

Direct Admission B.Tech Engg College Kerala	Basic Eligibility Needed (if not KEAM)	Total Tuition Fees
Saintgits College of Engineering	Class 12 PCM with 45 % aggregate marks	INR 4 L
TKM College of Engineering	Class 12 PCM with 45 % aggregate marks	INR 31.8K - 34.6K

Note: The fee information and eligibility has been compiled from official sources by Shiksha. 

5 Best Private Engineering Colleges in Kerala: Admissions and Fees

Among the top 10 private engineering colleges in Kerala. The table below shows the top private Engineering colleges in Kerala:

Private Colleges	Total Tuition Fee
Amrita School of Engineering Admission	INR 12 lakh- INR 24 lakh
AWH Engineering College Admission	INR 2 lakh
RSET Admission	INR 3 lakh
Saintgits College of Engineering Admission	INR 4 lakh
FISAT Admission	INR 2 lakh
Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology Admission	INR 3 lakh

Disclaimer: This info. is taken from the official website and may vary.

Best Government Engineering Colleges in Kerala: Admissions and Fees 

The table below shows the top government Engineering colleges in Kerala:

Public/Government Colleges	Total Tuition Fee
NIT Calicut Admission	INR 5 lakh
IIST Admission	INR 6 lakh
IIT Palakkad Admission	INR 8 lakh
College of Engineering, Trivandrum Admission	INR 35,000
Government of Engineering, Thrissur Admission	INR 35,000

Disclaimer: This info. is taken from the official website and may vary.

Read more about Engineering colleges in other locations:

• Best Engineering Colleges in Pathanamthitta
• Best Engineering Colleges in Kozhikode
• Best Engineering Colleges in Trivandrum
• Best Engineering Colleges in Alleppey

BTech Colleges in Kerala: Fees vs Salary

Kerala offers many good engineering institutes offering good placements, depending on the B.Tech programmes one goes for. Here is a gist. 

BTech Programmes in Kerala	Total Tuition Fee	Average Salary Package
IIST BTech	INR 6 lakh	INR 10.5 LPA - INR 13 LPA
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kottayam BTech	INR 10 lakh	INR 10 LPA
NIT Calicut BTech	INR 5 lakh	INR 9 LPA
MEC Kochi BTech	INR 1 lakh - INR 3 lakh	INR 6 LPA - INR 7 LPA
Government Engineering College, Thrissur BTech	INR 34,000	INR 11 LPA - INR 13 LPA

Disclaimer: This info. is taken from the official website and may vary.

Cutoffs for Engineering Colleges in Kerala

 

Aquib Rahman01-19-2026 15:10