Beyond IIT: Ten Colleges You Should Aim For After JEE

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Last Updated: August 29, 2022
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Over 10.43 lakh students appeared for the Joint Entrance Examination or JEE Mains on 9th April 2018. That’s 10.43 lakh dreamers hoping to land a seat at the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology. The competition is fierce, and JEE MAINS? That’s just the beginning! Once you clear the cutoff, you will also have to appear for JEE Advanced, and finally go through a counselling session to transform your IIT dreams into reality.

Difference Between JEE Mains & JEE Advanced

JEE Mains is the common entrance exam conducted by CBSE for enrolling in premier engineering institutes. The JEE Mains exam will help you get into:

  • Indian Institute of Technology (IITs)
  • National Institute of Technology (NITs)
  • Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)
  • Indian School of Mines (ISM)
  • Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTI/GFTIs)

JEE Advanced is the next level of exams. A marks cut-off in JEE Mains is announced, and students who score above this cutoff are eligible for JEE Advanced. While there is no definite number, 20-25% of toppers from JEE Mains are eligible for JEE Advanced. JEE Advanced is a tougher, more conceptual examination whereas JEE Mains is a speed-based test.

The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) conducts a joint admission process where all the above-mentioned engineering institutes participate. The admission process is conducted after your JEE Advanced exams are done.

In 2018, the JEE Mains was conducted on April 9th, 2018, and the results are due on 30th April. The JEE Advanced will be conducted on 20th May 2018, and the results are due on 10th June, after which the counselling takes place.

What are my chances of getting in?

Currently, there are 31 NITs, 23 IIITs, 23 IITs and 23 CFTI/GFTIs. Overall, there are 649 programmes available for admission, including B.E/B.Tech of four and five years respectively. This means you’ve got a total of 36, 208 seats available across all these institutions.

Government statutes also bring in the following reservations:

  • Open – 17856
  • Open – PWD (Person with Disability) – 542
  • OBC-NCL – 5207
  • OBC-NCl-PWD (Person with Disability)- 153
  • SC – 3047
  • SC-PWD (Person with Disability) – 108
  • ST – 9011
  • ST-PWD (Person with Disability) – 284

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What after JEE Mains?

Imagine 10+ lakhs students struggling for just 36,208 seats! This means only 3.6% will make it to the top institutes. What happens when you don’t make it to this exclusive club? Does it mean the end of your engineering dreams? No way! There are several other good institutions for you to enrol at, and they have their own exams. While most colleges have entrance examinations like BITSAT, VITEEE, Amity JEE and also state entrances like EAMCET, KCET, MHTCET and WBJEE, there are many others who use the JEE Mains Scores as criteria for admission.

JEE Main

We have compiled a list of top private engineering colleges that use your JEE Mains score as criteria for admission. However, before you start applying, note this:

It is possible that these colleges combine the JEE Scores with their metrics, like 10th and 12th board marks, their own entrance tests and particular subject marks. Refer to the admission manuals of each college to get more details.

The cutoff marks of JEE Mains vary each year. Most colleges accepting JEE Mains scores haven’t declared their specific cutoffs. However, based on previous academic years, one can estimate the average cutoff.

The cutoff marks of JEE Mains vary for each engineering stream. Subjects like Computer Science and Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering have a higher cutoff. If you’re opting for Mechanical Engineering or Civil Engineering, the cutoffs are relatively low, and lower still for specific courses like Metallurgical, Chemical, Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering.

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Scored above 120 in JEE Mains? Apply here!

1. Sastra University

Sastra is a Deemed University located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. A premier institution in South India, it is well-known for its engineering courses. Backed with great research facilities and campus placements, Sastra is a sought-after college. Students with scores of 120-160 in JEE Mains can opt for various engineering branches at Sastra.

Girish Mathrubootham, CEO of Freshworks and Vivek Athreya, Indian Film Director and Screenwriter, are among their notable alumni.

2. Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology

DAIICT is a premium college that only offers two courses – B.Tech (Information Communication Technology) and B.Tech (Honours) in ICT with Computational Science. Its laser-sharp focus on the stream helps it offer an industry-relevant curriculum. The JEE Mains cutoffs for DAIICT are likely to be above 180 and even beyond, depending on the competition.

Chintan Parmar and Milind Padalkar, international IT Researchers are part of their notable alumni.

3. Shiv Nadar University

Located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Shiv Nadar University is among the newer institutions and was started in 2011. The university is founded by Shiv Nadar, who also founded HCL (Hindustan Computers Limited). The university focuses on interdisciplinary studies and industry interaction. You need to score 120-240 marks in your JEE Mains to enrol here.

Basharat Bhat and Tasaduq H Wani, senior researchers are some of their notable alumni.

4. LNMIIT

The LNM Institute of Information Technology is a deemed university in Jaipur. Established in 2003, it offers education in all core engineering branches. Its alumni have gone on to occupy top positions in the corporate world. Their JEE Mains cutoff is expected to be between 140-180, depending on the number of students applying.

Karmesh Gupta, Co-founder and CEO of Cyber Security Company WiJungle and Saket Modi, Co-founder and CEO of Lucideus are among their notable alumni.

5. BITS Mesra

Not to be confused with BITS Pilani, Birla Institute of Technology in Mesra, Jharkhand, is a deemed university. It has seven campuses in India at Allahabad, Deoghar, Jaipur, Kolkata, Ranchi, Noida, Patna, as well as two overseas campuses at Muscat and Ras-Al-Khaimah. The main branch at Mesra considers your JEE Mains marks for admission, and cutoffs are expected to be between 180 and 210.  

Shree K. Nayar, Computer Scientist and Anjan Lahiri, CEO and Founder of Birlasoft are some of their notable alumni.

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Scored below 120? Here’s where you can apply!

1. Nirma University

Situated in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Nirma University is well known for being an Institute of Technology. The fantastic campus with world-class infrastructure makes it one of the top private engineering institutes in the country. Its students participate in national contests and are industry-ready. If you’ve scored between 90 and 150 in your JEE Mains, you could apply here.

Jay Shah, Secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India and Minal Rohit, Indian Scientist are among their notable alumni.

2. Thapar University

Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology is a deemed university functioning since 1956 in Patiala. The undergraduate programmes have a unique International Engineering Programme as well as BE-MBA Dual Degree. The JEE Mains cutoff marks for various branches are expected to be between 70 and 150.

Anoop Kumar Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director of NBCC and Henna Singal, Indian Singer are some of their notable alumni.

3. Symbiosis Institute of Technology

Symbiosis Institute of Technology is a part of Symbiosis University and one of the premier private colleges for engineering studies. With great placement records including companies like Google, PWC, Microsoft and Dell, Symbiosis is an industry-oriented institute. Their JEE Mains cutoff marks for SIT are expected to be between 70 and 120.

4. Jaypee Institute

Jaypee Institute of Information and Technology located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, is one of the top engineering colleges in NCR. Promoted by Jaypee Group, it has excellent placements and research support. It has a centre for the Performance Modelling of Computing Systems, a pioneering initiative in Computing Systems. The expected cutoff for their JEE Mains marks is between 70 and 150 for different streams.

Kriti Sanon, Indian Actress and Alok Jha, CEO and Founder of Forever Media are some of their notable alumni

5. Galgotias University

Galgotias University is located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. While it offers a variety of programmes across all subjects, it has a great engineering school. Its expected JEE Mains cutoff is between 70 and 120.

Of course, most people will aim for an IIT enrolment. However, not getting admission through JEE Mains in the IITs isn’t the end of your engineering dream. You’ve got a range of excellent colleges to choose from and build the foundation for a wonderful career. Best of luck with your admissions; you got this!

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