Confusion starts in a student’s life when they complete SSLC (Standard X). They have to choose whether they want to pursue a Diploma or higher secondary education. After completing HSC (Standard XII), they must choose their degree and college. 

In today’s world, many parents help their children choose the best institutions; sometimes, students have to search for the best one. However, we’re here to help them both. 

This time we came up with a list of the best engineering colleges in Chennai, by following our last post on Best CBSE schools in Chennai.

Note:

Before we start, just note one thing. The list of best engineering colleges in Chennai isn’t about promoting anything or creating a list based on assumptions or favoritism. This list is developed based on a standardized ranking framework and may differ from your personal opinion and moral thought. 

NIRF Framework

As mentioned in the previous blog ‘Best CBSE Schools in Chennai’, Search Sapiens doesn’t encourage assumptions, particularly on educational-based listings or rankings. That’s why we have to focus on a standard method to validate the best engineering colleges in Chennai; and identify “NIRF Ranking is the best way to evaluate the colleges. 

On September 29th, 2015, the Minister of Human Resource Development officially launched the National Institutional Ranking Framework, or NIRF, after it was approved by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). This new framework was designed to assess and rank institutions across India, providing a clear and structured methodology for doing so.

These parameters were designed to cover key areas that would give a holistic view of an institution’s performance, and they include: 

1. Teaching, 
2. Learning & Resources, 
3. Research & Professional Practices, 
4. Graduation Outcomes, 
5. Outreach & Inclusivity, and 
6. Perception. 

Through this comprehensive framework, the NIRF aims to provide a transparent and consistent way of ranking institutions across the country.

Best Engineering Colleges in Chennai

Here are the top 10 or 10 best engineering colleges in Chennai based on the NIRF rankings 2024. Please note the rank may change on an annual basis. No issues at the end of this blog you can get the link to the official site to check the updated rankings. 

1. Indian Institute of Technology Madras
2. S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology
3. Anna University
4. Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
5. Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology
6. Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R & D Institute of Science and Technology
7. Chennai Institute of Technology
8. Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS)
9. Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Kancheepuram
10. Rajalakshmi Engineering College

Let us provide you with some additional and useful details of these colleges.

1. Indian Institute of Technology Madras

IIT Madras is not only the Pride of Tamil Nadu, it’s the pride of India as the students and alumni of this institute made & are making a huge impact on innovations in various fields. For example, Sridhar Vembu, CEO of Zoho Corporation is an alumnus of IIT Madras who graduated with a B. Tech. degree in 1989. As the modern need for new departments of studies grows, the institution has many choices for students; including;

1. Aerospace Engineering
2. Civil Engineering
3. Humanities and Social Sciences
4. Mathematics
5. Applied Mechanics
6. Computer Science and Engineering
7. Management Studies
8. Ocean Engineering
9. Biotechnology
10. Data Science & Artificial Intelligence
11. Mechanical Engineering
12. Physics
13. Chemical Engineering
14. Electrical Engineering
15. Medical Science and Technology
16. Chemistry
17. Engineering Design
18. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

2. S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology

S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology is one of the best engineering colleges in Chennai with a high NIRF ranking. This institution has three branches in Chennai alone (Kattankulathur, Ramapuram, and Vadapalani Campus). In addition to this, it also has campuses in Tiruchirappalli (in Tamil Nadu), Modinagar (in UP), Sonepat (in Haryana), Amaravati (in AP), and Gangtok (in Sikkim). Students can pursue UG or PG in Engineering & Technology, Management, Medicine & Health Sciences, Science & Humanities, Law, and Agricultural Sciences. In addition, it also provides doctoral programs.

3. Anna University

The University was formed by bringing together and integrating four well-known technical institutions in Chennai namely, the College of Engineering (CEG), Alagappa College of Technology (ACT), Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), and School of Architecture & Planning (SAP). Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam 11th president of India and an Indian aerospace scientist studied at Madras Institute of Technology (MIT)  a constituent college of Anna University.

4. Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences

Saveetha institution is well-known for its Dental College. For the dental college rank, Saveetha Dental College retained its 1st position in 2024 for the third consecutive year. Its engineering college is also well-performed as it holds 53rd rank in NIRF engineering college rank. When it comes to employment, the institute provides hope as it properly discloses all the selected students’ details. You can check it here. 

5. Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology

Sathyabama Institute is one of the institutes that provides admission to students based on an entrance examination, called the ‘Sathyabama All India Engineering Entrance Examination’. Students who wish to join this institute for UG need to clear the examination. When it comes to academics this institute conducts regular national and international conferences on various topics to engage students with current and essential industry updates. On another hand, it also manages the placement cell very well with top companies like IBM, Mahindra, Icons, etc. These are a few of the institute’s top recruiters’ lists.

6. Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R & D Institute of Science and Technology

This institute promises a well-infrastructure, high possibility of placement in top companies, and diversified courses in various engineering fields. Through its dedicated placement platform, the institute placed 1815 students last year. It’s one of the institutes that has individual departments for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science. Through this department, the institute has been providing various demanded courses. It also provides B.Tech. in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Students who are willing to possess an AI related degree can consider this one.

7. Chennai Institute of Technology

Chennai Institute of Technology is doing great in its standard; we can see its improvement in NIRF rankings. In 2021 the institute ranked between 201 to 250; in 2024, it ranked between 101 and 150. Hope in next year it’ll grow further. When it comes to placement, the college has a separate placement training hub named ‘Career Development Centre (CDC)’ to help students get placement. As per the data from the official resource it had a 95.2% placement rate last year. If you need admission to this college you have to score more than 180 cutoff as the closing cut-off of 2024 is 179.75 to 194.00.

8. Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS)

HITS is one of the institutes that provides admission by conducting its own entrance examination, called HITSEEE (Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science Engineering Entrance Examination). It’a an annual national-level entrance exam. The students who wish to get admission to B.Tech, B.Arch, B.Des, and M.Tech Integrated Program in this institute should pass this examination. The placement cell of this institute is also impressive as it claimed that 1364 students were placed through placement and training programs last year which is a 93.94% placement ratio.

9. Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Kancheepuram

This institute has been offering B.Tech, 5 Dual Degree Programmes, and Ph.D programs in core and applied areas of engineering. It has the core departments like Computer Science and Engineering

Electronics and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Sciences and Humanities, etc. It regularly conducts cultural events and an annual technical fest for the students. This makes it one of the best engineering colleges in Chennai.

10. Rajalakshmi Engineering College

This is one of the best engineering colleges in Chennai that regularly gets top 100 ranks from 2020. In 2022 it was ranked 86th in the country under the Engineering category. But for 2024, it ranked between 101 to 150. As it conducts many placement-related events for its students and co-curricular activities (as per the statement on the official site), it can be a better choice for the students in Chennai. This college offers UG, PG, and PhD courses in multiple majors including Aeronautical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, BioMedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, etc. You can check the complete list here.

Closing Words

Hope this list of the best engineering colleges in Chennai is helpful for you to make your next move properly. Finally, it’s all about mindset; a student can be innovative, spirit, and revolutionary when they’re gaining proper knowledge and guidance. So, no matter where, all the campuses where they can pursue these two things are good. 

Related Post: Best CBSE Schools in Chennai