NIT Durgapur's Review and Verdict by CollegeDekho

Campus at a Glimpse

Founded in 1960, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Durgapur is one of the oldest technical institutes in India. It has been recognised as an institute of national importance by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India. It is well known for its academic excellence and research output. 

Currently, it offers eight programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels under its 14 departments: Computer Science Engineering (CSE), Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Civil Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Metallurgy, and Mechanical Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Studies, and Management Studies.

In recent years, NIT Durgapur has undergone tremendous improvements in infrastructure, facilities, curriculum, and research. As a result, the institute has published over 500 research papers in top journals and completed 95 sponsored projects in 2022. The efforts have also resulted in an 80% placement rate in 2023. 

Despite these significant achievements, NIT Durgapur is still considered an underrated NIT in India based on the collective opinion of students on different forums. This is likely due to many factors, including the institute’s relatively remote location and lack of collaborations. 

NIT Durgapur NIRF Ranking: Why is there a drop? 

Mentioned below are the NIT Durgapur NIRF Rankings for the ‘Engineering’ and ‘Overall’ categories for the last three years. Let’s compare and analyse! 

Engineering Ranking:

Overall Ranking:

Our Take:

According to the NIRF 2023 Rankings, NIT Durgapur ranked among the top 50 engineering institutes and the top 100 educational institutes in India. However, the rankings have dropped considerably compared to 2022 and 2021. The decline in NIT Durgapur rankings could be attributed to various factors, including performance in key metrics such as teaching, learning, resources, research, and graduation outcomes. 

NIT Durgapur Academia & Batch Size

NIT Durgapur has grown exponentially in terms of academia over the last few years. Currently, NIT Durgapur courses include B.Tech, M.Tech, MBA, M.Sc, MSW, Integrated M.Sc, and PhD programmes under 14 departments. 

As per the annual report 2022, NIT Durgapur published 567 research articles/ papers in leading journals and 213 papers at national and international conferences. Furthermore, various minor programmes and internships were added to the B.Tech programmes, and the curriculum of the MBA and M.Tech was revised. Overall, the completion of high-end research projects, industrial collaborations, incubation programmes, and the development of products reflect its academic strength. 

NIT Durgapur Batch Size 

(Source: NIRF 2023 report)

Our Take:

The departments have shown diligent efforts towards achieving academic excellence through robust curriculum and research. The academic strength of the institute is currently 1464. While this might seem like enough, the institute may focus on improving the academic strength of courses like BTech and MBA, given the popularity of these courses. NIT Durgapur can improve further and create a name for itself, removing the tag of an underrated NIT! 

NIT Durgapur Infrastructure

NIT Durgapur's infrastructure has improved gradually after COVID-19. A few additions include well-furnished hostels, advanced classrooms, well-equipped laboratories, and a Student Activity Centre (SAC). 

Classroom:

Classrooms at the new academic buildings of NIT Durgapur are fully air-conditioned and ICT-enabled. Classrooms at the old building are a bit smaller and old-fashioned, but the new academic blocks have top-notch classrooms. 

Auditorium/ Seminar Halls/ Labs:

NIT Durgapur has many auditoriums, and a recently built one has a seating capacity of 1550 people. Apart from that, there are various seminar halls and labs in every department. Some students have reported a lack of equipment and space in a few labs. 

Library:

NIT Durgapur’s library is a vital facility supporting academic activities with a collection of 1.7 lakh learning resources, including textbooks, journals, etc. It operates with modern systems like LIBSYS-4 for automation and OPAC for online database access. The digital library has a rich collection of e-learning materials. The library offers extended hours till midnight on weekdays, Wi-Fi, Xerox services, and membership in various library networks such as DELNET, NPTEL, eSodh Sindhu etc. 

Internet:

A high-speed internet facility is available across the campus of NIT Durgapur, including classrooms, labs, library, and hostels. 

Hostel:

The institute has 13 hostels - 8 for boys, 4 for girls, and 1 for international students. Given below are some details related to hostels at NIT Durgapur as told by students. 

• The newly built hostels are more furnished than the old ones. However, all the hostels are well-maintained and have similar facilities, such as 24x7 internet, spacious rooms, television, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, an auditorium, a gym, and clean and large washrooms. 
• Final-year students are given single rooms, while students in their first three years have to share rooms with three other students. 
• Food is not good in terms of quality and taste, especially for vegetarians. Students do buy food from the nearby food outlets. 

Activities:

Students are involved in regular activities at NIT Durgapur, such as

• Co-curricular activities: lectures, symposia, conferences, workshops, projects, quizzes, club activities, and competitions. 
• Extra-curricular activities: Cultural and regional events, Sports competitions, and InterNIT competitions. 
• Fests: Technical fests, cultural fests, freshers, and farewell parties. 

Cafe/ Hang-out:

There are a lot of cafes on the campus and hostels, such as B/L Cafe, Wonder Cafe, Nescafe, Roy Restaurant, Chitrangani, Chandu Tea Stall, and Techno. Students at NIT Durgapur hardly get time to chill out. However, there are many places near the campus, such as malls, parks, temples, and water parks, to hang out with friends. 

Our Take:

Overall, NIT Durgapur has shown considerable improvements in terms of building new academic blocks and providing ample facilities. There are some cons, such as low food quality and old classrooms and labs, that should be tackled over time. Many students have voiced that the labs at the institute do not have the latest equipment. At the same time, the existing equipment at the labs requires proper maintenance. The institute needs to upgrade its labs to provide its students with a better practical learning experience. 

NIT Durgapur Internships and Placements 

The Department of Training and Placement at NIT Durgapur looks after the internship and placement needs of the students. Through innovative ways of preparing the students, the department helps them target top recruiting organisations. Let’s explore the NIT Durgapur internship and placement scenario in detail. 

NIT Durgapur Internships:

In the words of the students, NIT Durgapur invites leading companies to recruit interns. Some of the top companies that recruit B.Tech students are CERN Geneva, DAAD, Microsoft, Amazon, Qualcomm, JP Morgan Chase, L&T, PWC, Sun Pharma and Tata. However, on-campus internship opportunities for core branches and other courses are limited. 

NIT Durgapur Placement:

NIT Durgapur has successfully placed 85% of students in the 2022-23 batch. The placement rate for both core and non-core B.Tech branches was above 80% except for Biotechnology. 

Let’s examine the NIT Durgapur placement statistics for 2022-23 in detail. 

Overall Statistics: 

B.Tech: Branch-wise statistics

Top Recruiters:

Our Take: 

Overall, NIT Durgapur presents a satisfactory image of internships and placements. The overall placement percentage for the 2022-23 batch was 84.66%. At the same time, all branches, except Biotechnology, recorded a placement percentage of more than 80%. The highest package offered was INR 70 LPA. Branches like CSE, ECE, and EE received higher average packages than other branches. Looking at the current trend, students from core branches have also received decent average packages.  

NIT Durgapur Diversity & Demographics

Home State Vs Other States’ Students

Male vs Female students

Our Take:

NIT Durgapur has an almost equal population of students belonging to West Bengal and other states of India. The count of global students is apparently less, but it adds to the diversity. The demographics represent considerable diversity but an unbalanced gender ratio, with 77% male students and 23% female students enrolled at the institute. However, one of the major reasons for this could be the lack of interest in female students pursuing engineering courses.  

NIT Durgapur Faculty/College Administration & Management

According to the NIRF 2023 report, NIT Durgapur has 283 faculty members, of whom 99% are permanent and PhD holders. The institute has some extremely experienced and dedicated faculty, as per students’ feedback. The majority of the teachers are knowledgeable and experts in their fields. However, there are some faculty members with average teaching quality, but they are approachable. Additionally, the faculty members are very supportive and encourage students to participate in activities, research projects, and competitions. 

As per our research and students’ inputs, NIT Durgapur has seen tremendous change in administration and management since COVID-19. This has led to the development of the overall institute, including infrastructure, facilities, curriculum, internships, and placements. 

Our Take:

NIT Durgapur has highly qualified and dedicated faculty, and they are liked by all. However, some exceptions will always be there. Along with that, the newly appointed administration has done a good job in terms of managing the institution and providing a holistic environment for students. 

NIT Durgapur Location

NIT Durgapur is located in the heartland of industrial activities and the mineral-rich region of West Bengal, also known as ‘The Ruhr of India’. The campus of NIT Durgapur is located at Mahatma Gandhi Road, A-Zone, Durgapur, West Bengal. First-time visitors can easily reach the campus as it is well connected with roads, railways, and airports. 

Let’s see the closest transportation options from NIT Durgapur. 

• The nearest bus stand from the campus is the NIT Durgapur Bus Stand, at a walking distance of 850 metres. 
• The closest railway station is the Warai railway station, located at a distance of 7 km from the campus. 
• Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport is the nearest airport, which is about 15 km away from the campus. 

NIT Durgapur: Expectation vs Reality CLD Verdict!

NIT Durgapur is a premier technical university in India, but it is often overlooked despite its significant achievements. It may not be the top preference of students, but many praised the institution after passing out from here. It provides all the necessary facilities and a holistic environment for its students. The placement rate is considerably higher but can be improved with due effort.

While the fee structure might not seem very affordable to some BTech students, they receive various financial supports to continue their studies. Students are charged INR 1,13,100 for the first semester and INR 80,000 for the rest of the semesters. The fees for other courses range from INR 27,000 to 80,000 per semester, which is comparatively higher than at other universities. 

Overall, NIT Durgapur appears to be an underrated institution, as it has so much to offer. Students can consider it a developing institution and become a part of its revolutionary journey. 

Our Final Checklist!