GetMyUni's Verdict on NIT Calicut

Midhun Hari

“The National Institute of Technology, Calicut is an institute of National Importance and has a great brand name. Although the college is pretty decent is terms of quality of education and student life, it can improve on the quality of the hostels.”

The National Institute of Technology, Calicut, is one of India's most prestigious Technological institutes. Among the top 5 NITs, the NIT Calicut invites students from all over the country who want to pursue higher education to its hallowed halls. That said, the institute does have a few criticisms that it has received from its students, from the past and present.

Compared to other NITs, especially the newer ones, the buildings at NITC may seem ancient. Some of the buildings are several decades old, although they are well-maintained. A significant criticism darted at the NITC is its aged and inadequate hostel infrastructure.

Moreover, most of the hostels at the institute need urgent renovation, except for the mega hostel for boys, which was inaugurated in 2021. Many times, students have found themselves in 4 sharing rooms, which results in a claustrophobic feeling.

Another matter that students object to is some of the stringent rules at the institute. Female students have protested against some rules that have been placed only for girls, the curfew time in the hostels being an example.

Table of Contents

• High Quality Courses
• Well Qualified Faculty
• Very Good Placement Record
• Decent Infrastructure
• Hostels that Need Renovation
• Life as a Student at NITC
• Final Verdict

High Quality Courses

The courses at NIT Calicut are offered at the Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral levels in Engineering, Technology, Sciences and Management. The course quality is relatively high compared to most technological and engineering institutes.

However, some students have said that the syllabus for each semester is a bit too much to be covered in the span of just a few months. This puts pressure on the faculty and the students while trying to complete the course.

The Affordability Factor

The NITC, centrally funded and an institute of national importance, has relatively low fees for engineering courses. While the fees are low compared to most private colleges, it is significantly higher than government institutes, like IITs, for instance. The course fees also change depending on the course the candidate chooses. However, students from socially and economically backward families are given concessions as per the rules. 

Well Qualified Faculty

The National Institute of Technology, Calicut faculty are highly qualified professionals and proficient in their professorship. The faculty have research and industry experience, enabling them to guide the students in their academic and professional lives. The faculty highly encourages the students to ask doubts and come up with new ideas.

Every college has some faculty that may need to be more friendly, supportive, and proficient, making life difficult for the students. NIT Calicut is not an exception. While most students talk about their faculty with respect and admiration, a few clearly need to work on their engagement with the students and their handling of the subject.

Very Good Placement Record

One of the most attractive aspects of NITC is its great placement record. This factor alone makes it very desirable for students to join the college. The highest package that was offered in the last placement cycle was a whopping INR 50 lakh. Well more than 80% of the students get placed while a good portion of the students remaining opt for research after their graduation. That said, NITC could do better when compared to other top NITs in terms of placements.

Decent Infrastructure

The infrastructural facilities at NITC can be described as better than average. The campus is spread over an area of around 300 acres, and characteristic of the state that it is located in, it is very beautiful green. Some of the buildings are rather old, although they are maintained well and serve academic purposes. The infrastructure keeps expanding with the construction of new facilities for various purposes.

The campus is quite far, more than 20 KM from the central city of Kozhikode. However, students must travel only some of the way to Calicut for most needs as there are plenty of commercial establishments close enough to the campus to serve the students' needs.

The laboratories under the different departments are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. The institute's pride is the NIT Calicut's supercomputer, PURNA (Parallel Universal Remote Numerical Analyser). 

Regarding the sports facilities, infrastructure has been built to foster the student's interest in sports and their physical fitness. Courts and grounds for various sports, a swimming pool and a gymnasium are all available on the campus.

The campus is connected with WiFi, which has decent speed at most places on the campus. As for the safety of the campus, there are guards and CCTV surveillance to ensure the student's safety.

Hostels that Need Renovation

The NIT Calicut campus has 13 boys hostels and 4 ladies hostels. The latest addition to the student accommodation, the Mega Hostel II for boys, was inaugurated in 2021. However, many of the old hostels are desperately in need of renovation. Students have complained about having to share their rooms with many other students, making it really cramped inside the rooms. This lack of space severely impacts the student experience at the institution.

As for affordability, the NITC Hostels charge around INR 30,000 for hostel rent and mess charges every semester. This may be expensive for some students on top of the tuition fees and affordable for others, depending on their financial background. That said, it is much lower than what is generally charged in many private colleges.

As for the food, all the hostels have mess attached to them. Different mess offers different kinds of food- veg, non-veg, South Indian and North Indian- to cater to students from all parts of the country. The students are given the choice to select the mess that they prefer.

As for the quality of the food, some students are satisfied with the taste while others are not. Students say that the non-vegetarians may be satisfied, but the vegetarians most likely won’t be. Several canteens and cafes around the campus also serve food to the students.

Life as a Student at NITC

The student life at NITC is great. The various clubs in the college are very active. The college conducts TATVA, a technological fest and RAGAM, the cultural fest that invites students from other colleges. It is a time of great energy in college. These fests are two of the most important events that happen in the duration of the year. 

As for student diversity, around half of the students are from the state of Kerala, and the remaining are from all parts of India. The diversity, hence, is pretty great. However, the college does lack diversity in socio-economic backgrounds.

Students are not required to adhere to any particular dress code at the college. However, students are expected to dress appropriately when attending academic activities. The attendance policy at the institute requires the students to have 80% attendance. This is more than what is followed by most universities at 75% percent.

Some students have talked about minor cases of ragging at the institute, done under the pretext of “Breaking the Ice”. Although the allegations are not too severe, the students have felt uncomfortable in such situations.

Adjusting As a Non-Keralite

Students who join the college from outside the state might face difficulty adjusting to their new environment. First of all, the language barrier might become an issue as most of the locals do not speak Hindi. Almost everyone understands at least rudimentary English, though, so the students will be able to make do.

Another aspect is the climate in Kerala, which is hot and humid. It rains for 6 months every year during the monsoon season. This might need some adjusting, and be sure to pack your umbrellas. The students say that while these matters are difficult at first, they get used to it in due time.

Some students have described experiences where they faced discrimination from non-teaching staff at the college. Although these incidents are isolated, they leave an indelible mark on the students, who are, in many cases, away from home for the first time.

Final Verdict

The National Institute of Technology, Calicut, lives up to its name for the most part, although it is far from perfect. The pros and cons of the institution have been tabulated below:

*Source: nitc.ac.in