Hello aspirant!!

First of all both are top colleges and are almost same in calibre. So, it won’t make much difference if you are choosing one over another.

And at last choice mostly boils down to your own preferences.

Location : From a cursory glance, DTU definitely seems to have an advantage here because of Delhi being capital city. However the factors which supports Surathkal are its proximity to Bangalore (Silicon valley of India) and the fact that it is the best B.Tech college in Karnataka as there is no any IIT in the state. It is located near Mangalore and we get buses to the city every 5 minutes from college campus, so you will not miss the city fun like multiplexes or shopping malls or international food chains or pubs.

Weather : Although Delhi weather is itself very extreme, I would say it is still better than Surathkal. Surathkal is hot and humid whole year. But it gets heavy rains from July till December which somewhat soothes the weather.

Placements : For most of students placements is major factor while deciding the college. I would say that there is no any difference here. Almost all big companies visit both the campuses. There is no lack of companies or opportunities in both the colleges and getting a high package mostly depends on how you study and how well you prepare for interviews.

Brand Value : I would say NITK Surathkal is definitely a bigger name than DTU, not only in industry but also in US top colleges if you are planning for your higher education after B.Tech.

Faculties : I have not much idea about DTU faculties but I can talk about NITK faculties. Computer Science faculties in NITK are bad. They may be PHD holders but the fact is that there are hardly 1–2 professors who teach well. Most of the students learn from self study and I will say that CS department reputation is because of high quality students and not because of Professors.

Infrastructure, Beach and Fests : Infrastructure of NITK is slightly better than DTU. NITK has basket ball courts, volleyball courts, sports complexes, a good swimming pool etc. For 1st and 2nd year you will get 2 sharing rooms. 3rd and final year everyone gets a nice single room. However there are still a few hostels where LAN is not available in some rooms. I think this must have improved over the years. NITK also boasts of having a private beach. It feels really nice going to sea beach during evenings of initial days after joining. But that’s it. Although it seems like a big deal, don’t think it’s anything like Goa beaches. Beach is quite far from main campus and most students only go there during initial and then final days of college. Bathing in the sea is quite risky and a few students have drowned over the years. College fests of DTU are obviously better because a lot of colleges are situated in Delhi so participation is higher.

Exposure : In addition to all the above factors, if you are from North India, there will be some challenges because of difference in cultures, languages and food in South India if you join NITK. I was most worried about this before joining but I think it was a blessing in disguise. Yes, food is bad. You will not like it at all during your initial days. But it will get better.

There is much more exposure in NITK. It has got students from all over India, unlike DTU which has 85% reserved seats for Delhi students. You will get to meet a lot of people from across the states and interact with different cultures. It might not seem a big factor while deciding, but believe me the single biggest reason I would give you to join NITK is the exposure it provides. Four years is a big time and the experiences which you will have and the people you will interact during this tenure will define and shape your characteristics and individuality. I feel that i would have been a complete different person if I would have joined DTU instead.

Hope this was helpful.

All the best.