While the top engineering colleges in India have a great reputation across the globe, you will usually see some of the popular engineering schools abroad making it to the top of world university rankings. And there are plenty of reasons behind it! Be it the infrastructure, innovative pedagogy, orinteraction with people from diverse backgrounds, studying engineering in a foreign university can be an extremely fulfilling experience.
In India,engineering aspirants have to take a lot of stress over which Indian engineering college to get into, majorly due to thecomplex selection process, fierce competition, and limited seats.IITs, NIT, and other prestigious colleges witness the highest competition. With limited seats and innumerable applications, even the most deserving candidates end up compromising on their collegepreferences or even their specialisation. However, you will not face such problems while applying to a foreign university, as there are plenty of options with attractive course combinations. The standard of education is on par, or even better in the majority of the cases. Career prospects will be plenty once you graduate from an overseas university.
If you have not been able to land a seat in any of the top engineering colleges in India, then may it's time for you to change your gear and try your luck ata university abroad.
Getting admission to a foreign engineering college is nocakewalk either but you can get in touch with us and we will help you connect with the world-class institutions that offer global opportunities to the students.
Let Us Help You Apply tothe Best Engineering Schools Abroad!
Engineering Colleges in India vs Engineering Schools Abroad
There are plenty of differences when it comes to studying in an Indian engineering college and pursuing the same stream in a foreign university. We've highlighted some of them here.
Single Entrance Exam
Unlike in India where you have to apply and appear for multiple engineering entrance exams before getting admission to a decent engineering college, universities abroad consider your 12th class scores (which of course have to be excellent) from a recognised board, and English Language proficiency exams such as TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, along with standardised exams such as SAT or ACT. The candidates just have to ensure taking the right exam as test requirements vary from university to university. At the Masters level, GRE is the only exam that one has to take to apply for admission to a Graduate Engineering program. The good news is that many US universities have made it optional for students to appear for these tests after the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
World Ranking
IITs have a great global reputation and consistently feature in the World University Rankings. In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2020, IIT Delhi and IIT Bombayranked among the top 50 engineering colleges, which was the first time for any Indian institute. However, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, and the University of Cambridge took the top three spots.In the QS World University Ranking, six basic parameters are considered for scoring the institutes - Academic Reputation, Faculty Student, Citations per Faculty, International Faculty, International Students, and Employer Reputation. As per a report on NDTV, Indian institutes lag in World University Rankings despite scoring better on academic parameters, because of lack of International Faculty and International Students.
Infrastructure
The theoretical aspect of any engineering program also includes some sort of practical application of knowledge. This practical application at foreign engineering schools is applied in the guided environment of college laboratories under the facultys supervision. They help the students perform controlled experiments and better understand the theoretical concepts. This portion forms about 50-60% of the course programs. To allow the students to properly understand the experiments, it is necessary to provide them with the proper and quality infrastructure, which universities abroad are well-known for. Foreign Universities have large campus areas as well as high-quality equipment.
FlexiblePrograms
In India, students do not have the option of unconventional course combinations and they are forced to pick a traditional program. In a foreign university, you have a variety of options, even at the Bachelors level. Whether you want to go with conventional choices like Mechanical or Civil Engineering, or some of the emerging and more cutting-edge course options like Robotics andPhotovoltaics, universities abroad have a range of programs for students. Your overall study experience becomes priceless when you get access to top-class facilities and these innovative programs.
Practical Training
In India, practical training includes a brief period of internship with a company or organisation that may or may not eventually offer placement after graduation. This internship goes on for only 4months and is offered at the very end of the course program.Foreign universities make sure that students engage in internships, and student clubs, either on their own or with the help of the university during their semester break, usually beginning from the second year or the third semester of the course program. Apart from this, universities also motivate students to take up internships or freelance projects on their own to earn certificates and experience to kickstart their careers.
Career Opportunities
Due to the reputation and higher ranking of foreign universities, students have better chances at career opportunities, not only in Indiabut globally. In fact, on the basis of the employment opportunities available to students all around the world, QS ranks universities on the basis of employer reputation. Foreign universities alwaysscore higher in such rankings, which means that their students have better chances of landing jobs.
Research Opportunities
In case of opportunities after program completion, students can get into the Research and Developmental sector. Here, graduates can choose to join either universities or Authorised Research Centres asresearchers or scientists.In 2021, the R&D sector of the USA was 2.88% of the total GDP of the country and 1.73% of the UK, while the Indian R&D sector was limited to 0.86% of the National GDP. The quality of equipment and Research laboratories that foreign nationals provide to students and graduates far exceeds the Indian R&D sector standards, making better opportunities available for the graduates.
Cultural Tolerance
Foreign university campuses are known to be welcoming toward international students with the provision of community and cross-cultural exchange programs. Many foreign universities are often recognised and awarded for encouraging and promoting cultural diversity and internationalisation on campus.Whether through theirservices or program curriculum, universities are continuously striving to make campuses safer and better for foreign students.
Top Countries for Engineering
International students can choose to study abroad in many countries, but each study abroad destination is different and has different benefits to offer. Here are the top countries for engineering that international students can choose from:
Country |
Top Courses |
Top Recruiters |
US |
Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering Electronics Engineering Nanotechnology Computer Science Software Development Robotics Engineering |
Apple Nvidia Intel Qualcomm Syska Hennessy WSP |
UK |
Aerospace Engineering Bio-engineering Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Mechanical Engineering Automotive Engineering, Computer Science |
Airbus Aston Martin BMW Corp Bacbock BAE Systems Cadent Atkins |
Canada |
Architectural Engineering Sustainability Engineering Computer Science Biomedical Engineering Mechanical Engineering Civil Engineering Manufacturing Engineering Marine Engineering Materials Sciences |
Bombardier JACOBS Pratt and Whitney Stantec CNL TRIUMF SNC - Lavalin Inc. AECOMM Igloo Innovations |
Australia |
Civil Engineering Marine Engineeing Structural Engineering Metallurgical Engineering Materials Engineering Geological Sciences & Engineering |
CPB Contractors John Holland WeBuild BMD Fulton Hogan Sun Engineering Pty Ltd. BSC MArine Group |
Germany |
Automotive Engineering Computer Science Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
GEA Group AG Enercon GmbH Bleichert Audi AG |
Top Engineering Universities Abroad
International students can refer to these top engineering colleges abroad to apply in 2023-24:
Ranking Authority |
Top 10 Engineering Colleges Abroad |
Times Higher Education |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US |
QS |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US University of Cambridge, UK University of Oxford, UK Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Stanford University, US ETH Zurich, Switzerland National University of Singapore, Singapore Imperial College London, UK University of California, US Delft University of Technology, Netherlands |
US News and World Report |
Tsinghua University, China Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US National University of Singapore, Singapore Harbin Intitute of Technology, China Stanford University, US University of California, US Aalborg University, Denmark Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China |
Engineering Scholarships to Study Abroad
Studying abroad, by itself, is an expensive option to choose especially when combined with engineering courses. However, financial problems must not hamper education or talent, and so the foreign universities offer a number of engineering scholarships to study abroad. International students can choose to apply for the following scholarships to study engineering abroad:
Scholarship |
Country |
Annual Value |
DAAD Scholarships |
Germany |
EUR 10,200 - 14,400 |
ETH Zurich Excellence Masters Scholarships |
Switzerland |
CHF 144,000 |
Amsterdam Excellence Scholarships |
Netherlands |
EUR 25,000 |
Womens Engineering Society Awards |
UK |
GBP 1,000 |
AAU International Fellowship |
US |
USD 18,000 - 30,000 |
Now that you know the major differences between studying in an engineering collegeand pursuing engineering abroad, we hope that you will be able to make an informed decision.
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