Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai 2026: Ranking, Fees, Admission, Courses

Chennai has IIT Madras, the top-ranking engineering institute in India, according to NIRF, for the past three years. The city has a growing IT sector, with more and more institutes moving into the top ranks of NIRF, Times Engineering, and other surveys ahead of hundred others. Find over 20 top engineering colleges in Chennai in 2025 and choose which one is right for you. 

Chennai boasts top engineering colleges like IIT Madras, Anna University, and SRM IST, known for research, strong placements, and affiliations like AICTE, UGC, NAAC, with key accreditation bodies like the NBA and NIRF ranking.

Key Highlights of Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai 2026

The top engineering colleges in Chennai offer quality education and placements across several fields of engineering, namely, computer science and civil subjects. The majority of these NIRF -  and Times-ranked institutes have affordable fees between INR 2 and 3 Lakhs. Candidates can see the table below for the key highlights of the best Engineering colleges in Chennai including total no. of colleges, fee structure across top colleges as per NIRF ranking 2025, top specilaisations offered with admission process and accepted entrance exam -

Particulars	Statistics
Total No. of Top Colleges in Chennai for Engineering	20+ (ranked by NIRF, Times Engineering, and more)
Annual Fee Structure of top Engineering colleges in Chennai	Less than INR 1 lakh: 1 college INR 1-2 lakh: 1 college INR 2-3 lakh: 9 colleges INR 3-5 lakh: 1 college INR > 5 lakh: 7 colleges
Top Engineering Institutes in Chennai as per NIRF ranking 2025	IIT Madras, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, SSN College of Engineering, Chennai Institute of Technology, Rajalakshmi Engineering College
Top Specialisations across Top Ranking Colleges in Chennai	Computer Science Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, etc.
Accepted Entrance Exams	JEE Main, JEE Advanced (only for IIT-M), or institute level like SRMJEEE

Source: Official site and may vary.

Top Engineering Colleges in India as per NIRF, The Week and The Times Ranking 2025

Candidates can see the below the content to differentitae the colleges list as per NIRF, The Times and The Week ranking 2025 basis -

NIRF Ranking 2025 of Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai

The most recognised ranking body of India is the NIRF. Parameters such as teaching and learning, graduation outcomes, etc., make for high-standard yardsticks to curate institutions under various categories. NIRF has listed for top engineering colleges in Chennai in 2025 as well, for years. See from this table data and compare your choices. Check the table below for the best Engineering colleges in Chennai-

College Names	NIRF 2023	NIRF 2024	NIRF 2025
IIT Madras Ranking	1	1	1
S.R.M Institute of Science and Technology Ranking	28	13	14
Anna University Ranking	13	14	20
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences Ranking	64	53	45
Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology Ranking	66	66	67
Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R & D Institute of Science and Technology Ranking	87	86	87

Source: Official NIRF site and will/may vary in next year.

THE WEEK-Hansa Survey 2025 of Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai

THE WEEK-Hansa survey of 2025 has a range of ranking parameters for its categories. For ranking the engineering colleges all over India, it has specifically used recruitment/placements as one of the essentials, apart from infrastructure, and teaching staff and process.  Check the table below for the Chennai top engineering colleges -

College Name	The Week 2025
IIT Madras	3
College of Engineering Anna University	12
Sri Sairam Engineering College	45
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science	52
Sri Sai Ram Institute of Technology	125
SRM Valliammai Engineering College, Chengalpattu	172
Crescent School of Life Sciences (B.S.Abdur Rahman University)	235
S.A. Engineering College	235

Disclaimer: This information is from the official publication of THE WEEK-Hansa research Survey of 2025 and can change next year.

READ MORE: Career after BTech

Times Ranking 2025 of Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai

As per Times 2025 ranking, SRM IST Kattankulathur emerged in the no. 1 position, followed by Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology and Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science.

Listed below are some of the Chennai's top 10 engineering colleges along with their Times 2025 ranking out of 175 engg colleges that participated all over India.

Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai	Times 2025 Ranking
SRM IST Kattankulathur	1
Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology	4
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science	7
Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute	9
Rajalakshmi Engineering College	15

Disclaimer: The above mentioned rankings have been taken from Times 2025 and cna change next year.

Eligibility Criteria For Admission to Engineering Colleges in Chennai 2026

Admission to the top Chennai Engineering colleges can vary from college to college. The general conditions to get into an engineering college in Chennai for BTech courses remain mostly the same.  Check below the eligibility criteria -

• Class 12 pass from CBSE or Tamil Nadu board with a minimum 50 to 75% aggregate from a recognised board with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as main subjects.
• The standard entrance exam is JEE Main. Some may be at the university-level with Class 12 results.

Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai: Exam Schedule 2026

The entrance exam for top ranking engineering colleges in Chennai is JEE Main. If you plan for IIT Madras, you will also have to prepare for JEE Advanced. Other than that, you got SRMJEEE for SRM Instittute of Technology. Prepare for these accordingly by comparing the dates below.  

Exams	Schedule	College Cut-off Predictor
JEE Main 2026 Exam	JEE Main Schedule	JEE Main Predictor
JEE Advanced 2026 Exam	JEE Advanced Schedule	JEE Advanced Predictor
SRMJEEE 2026 Exam	SRMJEEE Schedule	SRMJEEE Predictor

Top Private Engineering Colleges in Chennai

Top private Engineering colleges in Chennai like SRM IST, SSN Colleges of Engineering, SIMTS Chennai, are expensive than government colleges. These colleges are known for their placements, infrastructure, and academic quality. Learn about the admission process for some of the renowned private colleges in Chennai for engineering. Seat intakes and fees are here to compare as well with NIRF ranking 2025 -

Private Colleges	Total Tuition Fee/Seats	NIRF Ranking 2025
SRM IST Admission	INR 11 lakhs approx. BTech Seats: 5,300+	14
SSN College of Engineering Admission	INR 2 lakhs approx. BTech Seats: 800+	47
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences Admission	INR 9 lakhs approx. BTech Seats: 1,100+	45
Vel Tech Rangarajan Admission	INR 10 lakhs BTech Seats: 4,100+	10
Chennai Institute of Technology Admission	INR 2 lakh BTech Seats: 2,100+	101-150

Disclaimer: These details have been fetched from official sources and can change. 

Top Government Engineering Colleges in Chennai

The government Engineering colleges in Chennai are affordable than private colleges as they have limited seats with tough competition. Among the top 10 Engineering colleges in Chennai. The table below shows some of the government top Engineering colleges in Chennai along with their total tuition fees/seat intake and entrance exams/eligibility criteria:

Public/Government Colleges	Total Tuition Fee/Seats	NIRF Ranking 2025
IIT Madras Admission	INR 10 lakh BTech Seats: 1,191	1
College of Engineering Anna University Admission	INR 48,000 BTech Seats: 1380	20
IIITDM Kancheepuram Admission	INR 7 lakh BTech Seats: 559	151-200

Source: Official site and vary.

READ MORE: BTech Admission

Courses Offered by the Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai with Fees

The top courses offered by the top Chennai Engineering colleges are BTech in CSE, BTech in Mechanical Engineering, BTech in AI, etc. The table below shows the Chennai best engineering college along with their various courses offered and its total tuition fees:

College Names	Courses Offered	Total Tuition Fee
IIT Madras	BTech in Aerospace Engineering, BTech in CSE, BTech in Mechanical Engineering, etc.	INR 8 to 10 lakhs
SRM IST Kattankulathur	BTech in CSE, BTech in Biotechnology Engineering, BTech in Artificial Intelligence, etc.	INR 11 lakhs approx
SSN College of Engineering	BE in CSE, BTech in IT, BE in Biomedical Engineering, etc.	INR 2 lakhs approx

Source: Official site and hence may vary.

Read more about Engineering colleges in other locations:

• Top Engineering Colleges in Bangalore
• Top Engineering Colleges in Pune
• Top Engineering Colleges in Hyderabad
• Top Engineering Colleges in Mumbai

ROI of Engineering Colleges in Chennai

The top Chennai Engineering colleges like IIT Madras, Anna University, offer lower tuition fees with high average salary offered to candidates, mking it the excellent ROI of the top colleges. These high ranking institutes from Chennai have good packages and it's important to identify which one gives the best returns based on how much you spend for fees.   

College Names	Total Tuition Fee	Average Salary Package
IIT Madras Courses	INR 10 lakhs	INR 19 LPA
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences Courses	INR 9 lakhs	INR 4 LPA
Anna University Courses	INR 48,000	INR 8 LPA
College of Engineering Anna University Courses	INR 48,000	INR 7.5 LPA
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science Courses	INR 9.3 lakhs	INR 4.5 LPA
Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute Courses	INR 2.8 lakhs	INR 7 LPA

Source: Official site and hence may vary.

Highest Salary Offered by Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai

IIT Madras offered the highest average salary of INR 18 LPA with top recruiters participated include Airbus, Honeywell, Axis Bank, etc., followed by other top colleges. Various sectors and companies besides the IT giants recruit BTech graduates from the top Chennai engineering colleges. Here are some to check.   

College Name	Average Placement Package	Top Recruiters
IIT Madras Placements	INR 18 LPA	Airbus, Honeywell, Rolls-Royce, Axis Bank, Goldman Sachs, etc.
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences Placements	INR 4 LPA	Cognizant, Capgemini, Accenture, Bosch, Mahindra, etc.
Anna University Placements	INR 8 LPA	Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Practo, Accolite, Caterpillar, CodeNation, etc.

Disclaimer: The above Statistics are based on the latest data available and hence may vary.

Low-cost Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai

BTech in Chennai can be affordable than other cities in India. Some of the top ranked institutes have nominal fees with great career outcomes.

Low-cost Colleges	Total Tuition Fee
College of Engineering, Anna University Fees	INR 48,000
Crescent School of Life Sciences Fees	INR 1.50 lakhs

Source: Official site and hence may vary.

Top Engineering Colleges in Chennai: Comparison

Listed below is the comparison of the top Engineering colleges in Chennai with other colleges -

• IIT Madras Comparison with other colleges
• SRM IST Kattankulathur Comparison with other colleges
• Anna University Comparison with other colleges
• SSN College of Engineering Comparison with other colleges