JIS University Kolkata Review and Verdict by CollegeDekho

Campus at a Glimpse

Established in 2015, the JIS University Kolkata (JISU) is spread across 5.28 acres of land with a decent infrastructure. The foreign exchange programmes, life sciences learning initiatives, and Industrial Training Cell are a few highlights that the college openly boasts about..JIS University Kolkata is a part of JIS Group Educational Initiatives. According to the university website, JIS Group Educational Initiatives is the largest educational conglomerate in Eastern India with 37 institutions, 170 programmes and 39,000 students. JISU also claims to have strategic tie-ups with organisations like LSAC Global, Activate Learning, ECAM, MEF University, Metropolitan College of New York, St John’s University, UCASAL, and CII, just to name a few!

With a total of 9 schools/departments, JIS University Kolkata offers a plethora of courses at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. Top courses at JIS University Kolkata are from engineering, law, management, pharmacy, science, social sciences and education streams. The female-to-male ratio is 42:58, which is fairly good. More number of female students as compared to males can be seen in post-graduate programmes.

JISU is riding on its group name, some of which are commendable, while some require serious attention. Course-wise, the demand for management courses in JIS University Kolkata is comparatively higher among students. Ironically, seats remain unfilled. This could be because of the depleting placement opportunities. Students outside of Kolkata also opt out of the hostel accommodation, as they find it hard to adjust to the hostel life/ not happy with the amenities. 

Our Take:

Even though JIS University Kolkata is one of the most popular universities, students’ feedback, especially about placements, seems dark. Let’s dig deeper to review JIS University Kolkata. 

JIS University Kolkata Ranking

NIRF Ranking: A Grand Entry!

• As per the OPEN-SMRS B-School Survey 2023 conducted by RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, the Department of Management Studies- JIS University Kolkata, was placed second in the East zone and first in West Bengal under the Private Universities category.
• The Academic Insights recognised the School of Engineering-JIS University Kolkata,  as the "Innovative Engineering College of the Year 2022" for its research-oriented pedagogy.
• As per the Outlook ICare India University Rankings 2022, JIS University Kolkata was ranked 13th under the ‘Top Private MBA Institutions - East Zone’ category.
• In the Times B-School Ranking 2022, JISU stands in 5th place among the top 10 private B-schools in West Bengal.
• At the Education Excellence Award 2021, JIS University Kolkata was conferred with the 'Best Private University' award.
• In The WEEK Hansa Research Survey 2020, JIS University found its place at the 38th position under the ‘Private & Deemed Multidisciplinary- Overall’ category and was awarded the 76th rank in the ‘Multidisciplinary University- Overall’ category.

• At the India-Africa ICT Summit 2017, JIS University Kolkata received the ‘India-Africa ICT Award of Excellence’ for showcasing excellence in higher education.

Our Take:

JIS University Kolkata, for the first time, found its place in the NIRF 2023 under the ‘Pharmacy’ category, which is commendable. 

JIS University Kolkata Academia & Batch Size

JIS University Kolkata is a unitary and non-affiliating university. The university, recognised by UGC, holds membership in both AIU and UNAI and has gained recognition from PCI, BCI, and SIRO, along with receiving approval from AICTE. As per the university prospectus, JISU is now a registered member of the All India Management Association (AIMA).  Curriculum-wise, JIS University Kolkata follows a semester-based approach and a choice-based credit system allowing students to choose their desired courses. Students can also find course-wise curricula for their respective courses on its website.

Academic Composition:

Students are evaluated on the basis of internal, mid-sem and end-semester marks.

Batch Size:

Coming to batch size, the total sanctioned intake as per NIRF Report 2023 is 1,280. However, the actual strength of the student is 2,596. Department-wise, the sanctioned seat intake is 120 whereas 260 students are currently enrolled in the engineering department. In the case of management,  the sanctioned seat intake capacity stands at 60, having said that, only 17 students are currently studying. Attendance-wise, students are required to uphold a minimum attendance rate of 75%. But, it seems that the management is lenient regarding the same.

Fees:

The fees charged to students for admission in JISU courses at the diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels:

Our Take:

The overall student-faculty ratio stands at 13:1, which is good. But after analyzing the data department-wise, it is evident that JISU Kolkata is enrolling more students per batch, perhaps to just cover the running cost of the university, which also implies that the student-faculty ratio is not maintained. 

JIS University Kolkata Infrastructure

Classroom: According to the information available on the JIS University Kolkata website, students have access to both flipped classrooms and smart classrooms, with a total of 61 classrooms that are well-furnished and equipped with audio-visual technology. Students have also affirmed that the classrooms are backed with the necessary infrastructure.

Auditorium/ Seminar Halls/ Labs: Within the campus, there is a seminar hall and an auditorium with a maximum seating capacity of 500. JISU also claims to have digital studios, industry collaboration labs, computer labs and 3D printing labs among others. Some of the top lab equipment that the university possesses are PARAM SAVAK Supercomputer, UV Visible Spectrophotometer, High-Speed Centrifuge, Rotary Evaporators, Chemidoc and high-end digital microscopes.

Library: JIS University Kolkata has a centralised library and two reading rooms. Built on 712 square meters, the library is said to be fully air-conditioned. If we talk in numbers, the university website mentions that there are over 13000 books, 2000 plus e-books, 450 plus journals & e-journals. Students are also entitled to digital library facilities.

Commute: The university offers a Bus Shuttle service for students from the city. Even though there is an in-house transportation facility, students prefer travelling on their own.

Hostel: Going by the website, JIS University Kolkata has four hostels, two each for both men and women. The total intake capacity is said to be 308, out of which 200 seats are reserved for women. In terms of satisfaction, students are not happy with the facilities provided. They also voiced that the hostel food quality is average and hygiene standards are not being upheld.

You can have a look at the JIS University hostel fee structure below:

Cafe/ Hang-out: JIS University Kolkata has a multi-cuisine canteen and a cafeteria available for both faculty and students. JISU also states that it has a few night canteens operating from 10:30 P.M. to 12:30 A.M.

Activities: JIS University Kolkata students have access to clubs like sports clubs, drama and photography clubs. Debates, talks, quizzes, annual fest etc. are organised on a regular basis.

Other Facilities: Some other facilities as stated on the university website are a gym, ATM and banking facilities, medical facilities, 24*7 security, wi-fi enabled campus, indoor games and so on and so forth.

Our Take:

The infrastructure and facilities available to the JIS University Kolkata students are satisfactory. However, students have expressed the need for improvements in areas such as hostel facilities and the quality of food.

JIS University Kolkata Internships & Placements

Internships

JIS University Kolkata claims that internships and industry-institute collaboration activities are given due importance, allowing students to acquire industry knowledge and expert technical inputs. Wipro, TCS, Outlook Group, Paytm, Alstom Transport Solutions, Mphasis, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra, Cipla, and Aditya Birla Group are a few of the partner organisations and internship recruiters that are mentioned in the university’s official website.

JISU also states that summer and winter Internships are provided to the students. Short internship programmes are organised for pre-final year students along with vocational training. However, who can reap the benefits will solely depend on the student's interests and the opportunities actually available. 

Placements

As per the website, JIS University Kolkata has achieved 85% + placement percentage and over 100 recruiters have visited the campus so far. In 2022, the all-time highest package of Rs 18 LPA was offered to a B.Tech CSE student. If we analyze the 2023 and 2022 JIS University Kolkata placement statistics , the placement percentage decreased from 62.60% in 2022 to 50.79% in 2023. JIS University Kolkata highest salary was recorded at Rs 7 LPA in 2023 which is quite less compared to the previous year. However, there was an increase in the total number of offers received.

Considering what the student has to say, the overall placement is not at all satisfactory. Students are struggling to get good offers. Many leading recruiters visit the campus, yet there have been incidents where companies have recruited none. Considerable measures must be taken both by the students and the university.

As per the JIS University NIRF Report 2023, the course-wise placement statistics were as follows:

Engineering and Architecture|Course Duration: 4 Years

Sciences|Course Duration: 4 Years

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences|Course Duration: 3 Years

MBA|Course Duration: 2 Years

Pharmacy|Course Duration: 4 Years

Law|Course Duration: 5 Years

Our Take:Given the admission procedure and fees, the ROI is not satisfactory at all. The course fees at JISU is slightly on the higher side & admissions are done through entrance exams. Students, definitely, have to work hard to get a seat in the university, however, the outcome is not exactly rewarding. 

Students say that the management does everything apart from inviting companies. JIS Group has expanded rapidly over the past few years. But sadly, the “Lead College” carrying the Group name has most likely the poorest placement record. JISU has 2-4 'third-rung' IT companies for campus placements but hardly recruit 20 students (max). This is really dismal. Even more disheartening is the disappointing CTC offered here, which is less than INR 2.5 lakhs/ year.

If the placements are depleting by the year, there is definitely something that requires immediate attention. Whether it's making their curriculum more industry-based, or training the students on soft skills and communication skills, it is something that JISU needs to evaluate with immediate effect. So students, if you have a rank that is good enough for Techno colleges then please do not choose JISU! If you have no other option then go for it but don’t expect campus recruitment.

JIS University Kolkata Diversity & Demographics

JIS University Kolkata is a co-ed institution with a total of 2,596 students as per the NIRF report. Out of the total student population, there are 1,501 male students and 1,097 of them are female. The male-female ratio stands at a solid 75%. Even though JIS accepts students from all corners of the country, most of the students are from West Bengal itself. 

JIS University claims to be an ‘anti-ragging’ campus. Regardless, many students have argued that ragging does take place and the perpetrator often escapes without facing any consequences. The university does have an online grievance redressal mechanism system, which can be very helpful for students, but there is no data to validate whether it is functional or not. 

Regarding international students, according to information available on the JIS University website, they can apply for admission. Also, the university states that considering the university location, most of the international students are from Bangladesh and nearby SAARC countries. As per the NIRF Report, four international students were admitted to UG three-year programmes in 2022. Two were enrolled in the UG five-year programme and one in the PG two-year programme.

Let’s have a look at the gender index ratio and demographic representation of the students at JIS University Kolkata:

JIS University Kolkata: Gender-Ratio Index

Our Take: Barring UG 4-year programme with 28.1% women population, JIS University Kolkata deserves praise for upholding a balanced gender ratio, with 41.7% women at the 4-year UG level, 59% at the 2-year PG level, and an impressive 63% at the 5-year UG level.

JIS University Kolkata: Demographic Representation

Our Take: The number of students outside West Bengal is comparatively low comprising only 15.2% of the students from within the state. JIS University should focus on enhancing its networking efforts in this regard.

JIS University Kolkata Faculty and Administration/Management

As per the website, JIS University provides its students with world-class teaching through ‘highly educated, industry experienced and trained faculty members.’ Students have said that few departments like Law have highly skilled faculty whereas few students from the CSE department complained that the faculty is very rude and not competent in providing the needed guidance. If we skim the NIRF Report 2023, there are a total of 220 faculty members, and 20 of them have left the university between April 2021 and January 2023. Furthermore, only a limited number of them possess 8-9 years of experience within the university, with the majority having joined the institute in the year 2017-18.

On further research, it was found that JIS University’s withdrawal procedure is not transparent. A female student who had to withdraw from the university within a week in November 2020 mentioned that despite the university's assurance of a refund with a deduction of approximately Rs 5,000, there was no response even after numerous phone calls and emails. Additionally, the staff she interacted with displayed rudeness. Several months later, on March 28, 2021, she did receive a response indicating that the refund process would commence in April. Until July, she hadn’t received any refund! Many students had a mutual viewpoint in this regard. If this issue persists, JIS University could soon face an investigation regarding this!

JIS University Location

Located at 81, Nilgunj Road, Agarpara in Kolkata, JIS University is at a distance of approximately 13.3 km from the city. When we reached out to students, they confirmed that the university’s location is a drawback. The first thing a student can see while approaching the college is a huge dumping ground. Numerous students opt for a lengthier route rather than being exposed to harmful air quality. While the university itself may be among the top private institutions in Kolkata, the surrounding environment is not optimum. JISU should collaborate with the Municipality to rectify this problem. 

JIS University Kolkata: Expectation vs Reality CLD Verdict!

In the span of 7 years of its existence, JIS University Kolkata has excelled really well in terms of campus infrastructure and facilities. They have all the requisites needed for the overall development of their students. Be it the hi-tech lab equipment or its 61 smart classrooms, it has left no stone unturned to provide the best infra to its students. 

However, there are a few areas which we couldn’t overlook. Beginning with the unhygienic environment, to the withdrawal procedure & rude behaviour of the faculty and staff, JISU seems to have many avenues that it needs to work out. The fees are reasonable, ranging between INR 88,000 and INR 6,12,000 depending on the course. Nonetheless, the return on investment (ROI) is unsatisfactory, and the overall placement statistics are also abysmal. 

Final Review Checkbox!