Engineering college options for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)
If you / your child is an Overseas Citizen of India, this blog guides you through options that you have for various engineering colleges after std XII. It is tailored mostly for someone in state of Maharashtra or even more specifically Pune.
JEE
The first and foremost is an option of Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) which opens the door for premiere institutes of IITs, NITs and IIITs. The admissions of IITs are done by your JEE Advanced rank whereas those of NITs and IIITs are done based on your JEE Mains rank. Some regional engineering colleges (e.g. PICT or VIT in Pune) also have (about 10%) quota based on your JEE Mains rank which of course is not available to OCI candidates. Having said all that it is very competitive to get into top departments of top IITs. In year 2020 there were about 8.5 lakh students that appeared for first JEE Mains exam in January and following are cutoffs for Computer Science department of various institutes based on JEE All India Rank (AIR) during previous years of 2018 and 2019.
You can get all the information about it at: https://jeemain.nta.nic.in. The admission process through this channel is also referred to as Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA).
BITS
The second option is that of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) which has its own entrance exam called BITSAT. It has three different campuses of Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad (in India); usually considered in that order. Here are cutoffs for various departments at these three campuses last year: https://www.bitsadmission.com/cutoffscores2019.aspx
You can get information about their admissions at: https://www.bitsadmission.com/
As an OCI you can also apply based on your SAT (including subject tests) scores. You can watch out for the announcement at: http://sites.bits-hyderabad.ac.in/internationalstuadm/
IIIT Hyderabad
IIIT Hyderabad is also considered to be one of the premiere institutes. Its’ JEE Main cutoff is usually very high. Here are its round 5 cutoffs for the last year:
As an OCI you can also apply using your SAT scores under Direct Admissions for Students Abroad (DASA). You can watch out for the announcement at: http://ugadmissions.iiit.ac.in/dasa_page.html
They also have an entrance exam for their 5 year dual degree programs. You can watch out for that announcement at: http://ugadmissions.iiit.ac.in/ugee_page.html
Vellore
Vellore is one of the options that have their own separate entrance exam. You can find all the information at: https://viteee.vit.ac.in/. They have two campuses namely Vellore and Chennai considered in that order. Here are their representative cutoffs from previous years:
VIT Vellore
Closing ranks for the year 2016 and 2015 respectively.
VIT Chennai
Closing ranks for the year 2016 and 2015 respectively.
As an OCI, you can also apply here under foreign category.
Manipal
Manipal is one more option with their own separate entrance exam. You can find their information at:
https://apply.manipal.edu. Here are their round 5 cutoffs from last year:
You can also apply here under foreign category as an OCI.
DASA
DASA coordinates admissions to various NITs and IIITs based on SAT scores. You can find that information at: https://dasanit.org/dasa2019.
DTE
Admissions in various engineering colleges across Maharashtra for OCI candidates are coordinated by Directorate of Technical Education (DTE). These admissions are based on std XII board marks.
The steps for this process are as follows:
- You need to register and fill an application at: https://fn.mahacet.org/StaticPages/HomePage It needs your Class XII mark sheet.
- Then you need to register at CET site like https://fe2024.mahacet.org/ for the current year 2024
- There is always confusion about how your documents will get verified. It’s better to select physical scrutiny option with Sardar Patel College (location subject to change at times but you will see it listed at the site).
- In case you choose E-scrutiny, you should book an appointment at Sardar Patel College anyway since they need to verify your original documents (foreign passport, OCI, address proof, affidavit, X and XII marksheets). It’s a little tricky. You cannot select “Change verification mode” which gives an error of:
But you can select “Reschedule SC appointment (Slot)” and then schedule an appointment. The option of speed post/courier is confusing and not advised.
Google Maps must correct directions to Sardar Patel Engineering College (SPCE). People even nearby do not know about the college. One tip is that as you near the location, you should seek directions to Vrindavan Veg restaurant. SPCE entrance is in front of this restaurant. If you follow Google directions till the end, you will reach the back side of the campus. In that case, you should ask the watchman (others might not even know about the college). He will direct you accordingly tipping about Vrindan as mentioned above.
The next up are college lists and admissions!
Fees
The fees for various colleges vary. They also depend on the channel through which you secure the admission. The following table gives a glimpse.
Miscellaneous
There are various rankings for top engineering colleges in India. Here is a glimpse: https://www.shiksha.com/b-tech/ranking/top-engineering-colleges-in-india/44-2-0-0-0 covering rankings by JEE cutoff, NIRF, India Today, Times, The Week, Outlook and Composite. There are also other separate entrance exams like SRMJEE, LPU NEST etc. You can take a look at a little comprehensive list at: https://engineering.careers360.com/exams?level=1
