Engineering in India vs Abroad: Which one should I choose?

Engineering is an art that uses scientific laws and rules to make this world beautiful and efficient. Engineering has created some of the most marvellous things in human history. From Computers to Cars, from Airplanes to Submarines, and from Bridges to Pyramids engineering has been a part of our days from the start of human history. Therefore, it is no doubt that engineering is one of the most popular courses in colleges and universities all over the world. Universities offer various types of engineering, i.e., Software Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and many more. There is no dearth of specializations in engineering courses. Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Solar Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering are some of the most popular engineering courses in India and abroad.

Although, some of the finest engineering colleges and universities are in the USA, UK and Australia, however, there are plenty of top-notch engineering colleges in India too. Some of the top engineering colleges in India are providing world-class best quality education to students. In this article, we will compare engineering in India and abroad and come to know which is better and why.

Things to Ponder

There are a few things that we need to ponder while comparing engineering in India and abroad. Some of the most important factors for students. Like quality of education, tuition fees, cost of living, admission process and entry requirements. We will go into these factors in detail one by one. Factors that we will be pondering upon are:

• Quality of Education
• Admission Process
• Entry Requirements
• Tuition Fees
• Cost of Living
• Jobs after graduation

Quality of Education

Undoubtedly, some of the best engineering colleges and universities are abroad. According to the QS world university rankings 2022, the top 10 engineering colleges are from the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Netherlands and Switzerland. All these colleges and universities have produced some of the finest and best engineers in the world. however, after its independence in 1947, over the decades India has also created some of the finest and best engineering colleges in the world. IITs, NITs, BITS and many other regional engineering colleges. These colleges have produced some of the finest engineers in the world. who does not know Sundar Pichai the CEO of Google. He is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. Sundar Pichai was instrumental in creating Google Chrome.  So, there are plenty of colleges and universities in India that provide world-class quality education in engineering. So, in terms of the quality of education in engineering, Indian universities and colleges are at par with the world.

Admission Process

Every country has its own admission process. The criteria and procedure for admissions vary from country to country. Moreover, the admission process in western countries is almost similar. Meanwhile, the admission process in India is entirely different. The admission process in India is quite simple. To get admission into the top engineering colleges in India you are required to pass an entrance examination while having minimum marks in the school board examination for eligibility. However, in abroad, the admission process includes not just an entrance examination but a resume, statement of purpose and many other things. The admission process in abroad has a holistic approach. They try to know the real potential of the student before giving them a seat. In India, there is a common entrance examination for all engineering colleges. Meanwhile, universities in abroad have their own admission process and criteria for admissions.

Entry Requirements

The entry requirements for engineering colleges in India are as follows:

• Class 10^th Boards mark sheet
• Overall minimum of 75% in 12^th class Boards Examination
• Qualify Entrance Examination
• Category certificates for reservation (if any)

Although, the specific entry requirements in engineering colleges and universities abroad vary from university to university. However, the general entry requirements for engineering courses in universities and colleges abroad are as follows:

• SAT/ACT
• GRE
• IELTS/TOEFL
• Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• Letter of Recommendation (LOR)
• Resume
• Interview (optional)

Tuition Fees

One of the major factors for studying abroad or in India is the tuition fees. In this section, we will mention the tuition fees in INR so that you can get a good idea of tuition fees in India and Abroad. Tuition fees in abroad change every year depending upon various factors. Meanwhile, tuition fees in India do not vary that much every year except for private colleges like BITS Pilani. Tuition fees in IITs, NITs and other private engineering colleges depend on the course and level of study. However, on average you can expect the tuition fee in IITs to be in the range of ₹1,25,000 to ₹2,20,000 per academic year. Tuition fees in engineering colleges and universities vary from country to country. In countries like the US, the UK and Australia tuition fees for international students are as high as ₹45,00,000. Whereas, tuition fees in Germany are almost nil. But, even after that US, UK and Australia are the most-sought after destinations for higher education. The tuition fees for engineering courses in colleges and universities abroad are expected to be in the range of ₹5,00,000 to ₹45,00,000 per academic year.

Cost of Living

There are various factors that determine the cost of living for an individual. Factors like the location of your university or college, your lifestyle, and the type of accommodation that you live in. In comparison to the United States, Europe and Australia, India is very cheap to live. Accommodation, transportation, food and all the essential things for a student are comparatively very cheap in India. It is possible that one of the top engineering colleges in India is in your city and if you are lucky enough to get admission into it, then your cost of living drops significantly. You can go to your college from your home. However, this is not possible in universities and colleges abroad. So, in India, the average cost of living is in the range of ₹1,20,000 to ₹2,00,000 per academic year. Meanwhile, the average cost of living in abroad is in the range of ₹8,00,000 to ₹15,00,000 per academic year. The cost of living in some countries like Sweden is even higher than average.

Jobs after Graduation

What kind of job you get and what package you get solely depends on what you learned and what skills you developed during your graduation. Engineers are in great demand in India and Abroad. The US and Europe have some of the best tech companies in the world. Major corporations have their head offices in cities like New York, Chicago, London and Frankfurt. However, there are plenty of jobs for engineers in India as well. India is the 5^th biggest economy in the world. India’s IT industry is the biggest in the world and every year thousands of engineers join various companies in India. Also, Just because you have done your engineering in India, it does not mean that you can’t get a job in the US. Every year hundreds of students from IITs and NITs are recruited from campus by US and European companies.

Engineering is one of the most popular courses in the world. Thousands of students enrol every year in various universities for this course. If you look at the world university rankings then you will find that western countries have some of the best engineering colleges and universities. However, Indian engineering colleges and universities are providing a quality of education at par with the world. Indian engineering colleges and universities are also climbing up the ranks of world university rankings. There are various factors at play when choosing between India and Abroad. Both have their merits and demerits.