One of my friends is pursuing her 4th year in Mechanical Engineering from this college. 

The table below shows a brief description of the institute:

Following points are based on her experience in 3 years of engineering course at the institute:

1. General life - As far as a life apart from academics is concerned, this is a great college. This college has a bundle of options from student clubs to proper technical clubs.
2. Sports- The sports scenario is quite interesting. They have two semi-professional teams in Cricket and Football (MIT Cricket League and MIT Football League). There is tough competition here.
3. Food - Manipal has two Mexican restaurants. You get several options and 9/10 you won't be disheartened with the gastronomy in Manipal. The mess of the College is far better than the ones in any other engineering college.
4. Bars and recreation - The age-old belief that Manipal is known for its partying and drugs and alcohol is unfortunately true. There are plenty of temptations because everything is easily available to the students here. But it ultimately depends on the individual itself.
5. Academics- The faculty for Mechanical and Civil is very liberal and knowledgeable. Education is more marks driven. The labs are not in a good stage (especially mechanical and civil).
6. Placements- The placements are not good at Manipal. The companies are not frequent and pay pretty low packages. Majority of students can land an average job. The college is really uncooperative and does not care about the quality of the companies arriving. The number of core companies is reducing and the student intake is significantly increasing.

Overall, Manipal does not fare well given their placement scenario is not up to the mark. But the college helps students in preparing for higher studies. This becomes a huge advantage for the students wanting to pursue higher education.

Both the colleges mentioned here are one of the well-renowned colleges in India and have some excellent academic as well as placement records available. Both of these colleges provide an MBA degree in various fields with a full-time 2-year classroom course.

Admissions:

• PES University accepts admissions through PESSAT, CMAT, and CAT for enrolling in the university.

• Whereas MIT Manipal considers CAT, MAT, XAT scores, and conducts GD (Group Discussion) and PI (Personal Interview) for the final selection.

Total fees for MBA at PES University and MIT Manipal are 9.01 Lakhs and 7.70 lakhs.

The closing cut off for MBA at the institutes are as follows.

• PES University – MAT - 75%ile, CAT - 50%ile

• MIT Manipal - MAT - 75%ile

Placements:

MIT Manipal-

• According to the placement statistics of 2019, the median salary offered was 7 LPA.

• The top recruiting companies are Amazon, Ample Technologies, Axis Bank, Canara Bank, Daikin, Decathlon, Deloitte, and HDFC Bank

PES University- Placements are improving every year at the university.

• 56 Companies visited for the recruitment of students.

• The highest package received was 48 LPA whereas the median salary offered was 6.8 LPA.

• Top recruiters that visit the institution include Amazon, Cleartrip, Flipkart, JP Morgan, LinkedIn, Intel, Mahindra Rise, Mercedes Benz, and Deloitte.

MIT also has collaborations with foreign universities, research centers, and tie-ups with multinational companies. The University has academic tie-ups with about 13 international universities, 2 international research centers, and industry tie-ups with 9 MNCs. BBDU campus is well equipped with all modern requisites needed to complement learning.

PES and MIT both are good options for MBA. But in terms of placements, MIT Manipal has a slight edge over PES University.

Manipal University is one of the leading universities in India and making its mark with its prestigious grace across the globe, offering undergraduate, graduate, and research programs to the students. The university has been ranked globally among 215 universities. It has been ranked a number of times for its green surroundings, sustainability, and resource usage. It offers a Master’s in Technology with a specialization in Aerospace Engineering that focuses on the dynamics and control of the aerospace systems.

About the Course:

• The areas covered in the 2-year Program of 4 semesters are Aerospace System Modelling, Orbital Mechanism, Navigation, Guidance, Control, Spacecraft Dynamics, Flight Mechanism, Simulation, and Trajectory. 
• Students are exposed to the culture of doing research innovatively and publishing.
• Students are provided with an opportunity to learn from industry experts, helping them in their careers in the future.

Fee Structure of M.Tech in Aerospace Engineering

• The total batch fees of 2020-21 were rounded off to 3,60,000. 
• The fees amount can be submitted in installments of 1,75,000.

Placement Opportunities 

Students after completing the M.tech in Aerospace Engineering are offered various opportunities in government organizations and aerospace industries such as ISRO, DRDO, NAL, HAL, etc.

Infrastructure and Facilities

• Manipal University is highly known for its multinational facilities and the modern campus.
• The University is spread over 313 acres of the land, also the campus being the prime reason for the selection of Manipal University by various students. 

Manipal University consists of various centers under the Manipal University of Higher Education offering innovative and entrepreneurship related opportunities to the students with rankings and recognitions from highly reputed organizations in the industry.

NIT Durgapur is one of the top institutes in the field of engineering and technology. It is ranked 47th among the top Btech colleges in 2020 as per NIRF ranking. It provides above 80% placements in top MNCs every year.

MIT Manipal, on the other hand, is the first self-financing engineering college in India. It is 4th among the top private colleges in 2020 as per India Today ranking. The institute has a 75% placement rate.

Given below is a comparison between the two institutes.

If you are interested in Electronics, then choose MIT Manipal. However, NIT Durgapur ranks among the top five NITs and top engineering colleges of India. It is one of the few engineering colleges having nearly 100% placements. The peer group at NIT Durgapur is also better than MIT Manipal as the selection is through JEE Mains.

Manipal University ranks within the top 15 private colleges in India by India Today. It is ranked 45th by NIRF for engineering in India. The MTech program’s duration in Industrial Automation and Robotics in Manipal is for 2 years with the first year focusing on 6 subjects and two labs each semester. The second semester also has an IAbd Seminar program.

Academics

There are a total of 30 seats and the total tuition fee is around 4 lakhs for the program.

• The first year focuses on the academic aspects of the course and the second year consists of practical work, projects, and internships.
• Students are expected to do an internship program for at least 8 months on Mechatronics.
• Two internal tests are conducted of 50 marks each and one external examination of 50 marks. Out of the 50 marks in the internal tests, 20 are allotted to project work.

Placements

According to the college, students are expected to be placed in the companies in which they interned during the third and fourth semesters. However, the college does bring in companies for placements.

• The college has provided 100% placements, and 60% of students have received paid internships.
• The salary package ranges from 4 LPA to 8 LPA.
• Some of the companies that recruited are Philips, TCS, L&T, ABB, and Yashakava.

Eligibility Criteria

• Students who wish to study in Manipal need to sit for the university exam called MET. They can also apply after sitting for the GATE examination.
• One must score 50% in any of these exams to qualify for a seat in this course.
• Candidates are required to have a Bachelor’s degree in any of the relevant engineering streams.

Infrastructure

• The labs provided to Industrial Automation and Robotics courses in Manipal are the best among all the other branches and have all the latest equipment.
• The entire campus is Wi-Fi enabled, and classrooms and libraries are all well maintained.
• The university has an innovation centre dedicated to research.

The course curriculum followed by this branch is one of the best in Manipal University. It is in line with the industrial demands making its students industry-ready. So, students should have next to no problem when stepping into the career world in their respective choice of industry.

NMIMS MPSTME 's BTech programs have received the ABET Accreditation of the US. It has been ranked #2nd on the 'Best Emerging College of this Century' by India Today Group-MDRA Survey, 2020. On the other hand Manipal Institute of Technology ranks #45th on NIRF's 2020 Ranking list.

Besides these, MIT has collaborations with foreign and Indian institutes namely- Milwaukee School of Engineering, USA; Hochschule Bremen, Germany; and Jack F Welch Technology Centre (GE) Bangalore; for specific projects. NMIMS MPSTME also holds international competitions like the International Google Competition 2020 and the 17th Annual International MATE ROV competition 2018.

The table below shows the difference between the two institutes-

Here is what else the institutes offer:

Admission Criteria

• NMIMS MPSTME Admissions and Manipal Institute of Technology Admissions require students to have a minimum of 50% marks in PCM for Mumbai campus & 45% marks in PCM for the Shirpur campus; AIEEE/JEE score is preferred in the admission policy.
• MTech students must have 55%-60% and above marks in bachelor's and a valid GATE score.

Infrastructure and Faculty

• Manipal Institute of Technology has a WiFi campus; AC classrooms; 15 acres of cricket ground; and an indoor sports complex called MARENA and a library.
• MIT has 18 departments with 30-60 Faculty Members for each. They have partnered with industries on projects like TCS Sangam and ATMEL India, "Embedded Systems Design Lab". IAESTE is its student exchange program.
• NMIMS MPSTME has 10 departments offering engineering programs. The faculty range is between 4-47.
• Infrastructurally, this institute has the Bosch Rexroth Centre of Excellence Lab; and Lucas Nuelle Telecommunication Lab among 5 others. There is also a library present on-campus with two hostels.

Placement Statistics

• NMIMS MPSTME has corporate links with over 300 companies for placement and summer internships. 100% placement guarantee is made by the Institute for students of management and engineering.
• In 2019-2020, 125 companies made offers to NMIMS students, of which 8 were international. The highest domestic package offered was INR 12.4 LPA and 46 companies offered an average pay of INR 6 LPA; with the major recruitment being conducted by Zycus and Accenture.
• MIT students have received double higher CTC in 2020 with INR 43.3 LPA. 50 Global fortune companies visited in academic year 2019-20 and the average package offered was INR 7 LPA.

Both institutes have good placement percentages and offer various ExtraCurricular opportunities as well. Students may choose based on resource utilisation.

Manipal University is ranked 45th, and VJTI is ranked 75th for engineering in India by the NIRF. Both colleges have a wide range of programs. Manipal offers courses in B.Tech, M.Tech, M.Arch, M.Sc, MCA, and Ph.D. programs. VJTI offers courses in B.Tech, M.Tech, MCA, Ph.D., PG Diploma, and After 10th Diploma programs.

Eligibility Criteria

VJTI College:

• Candidates need a minimum of 50% aggregate in their 12th for UG programs and 50% aggregate in the Bachelor's degree for graduate programs.
• Candidates need to sit for the MHCET exam to be eligible for a seat in VJTI.
• Candidates need to register themselves for GATE to take admission to MTech program.
• No management quota seats are available for this college.

Manipal University:

• Candidates need to sit for the MET exam for a seat in BTech and MCA programs.
• Candidates need to register themselves for GATE to take admission to MTech program.
• 50% aggregate is needed in a Bachelor's degree for graduate studies.

Infrastructure

VJTI College:

• The infrastructure of VJTI is below-average, although most of the necessary facilities are available.
• Wi-Fi is not available; hostels are provided on the basis of merit.
• The classrooms are in the process of renovation, and the library is well maintained and has a vast collection of books, journals, and papers.

Manipal University:

• Manipal is excellent in terms of infrastructure.
• Wi-Fi is available on the entire campus, and also in the hostels.
• The university has a massive sports ground covering almost 15,000 sq feet.
• Medical facilities are available 24/7 in the Kasturba Medical College of Manipal.

Placements

VJTI College:

• The institute has a placement record of more than 90% each year.
• Reputed companies like Microsoft, Udaan, Amazon, Samsung, Morgan Stanley, Goldsman Sach, and Rakuten come for recruitment.
• The average package is around 7-8 LPA, the highest package being 38 LPA and the lowest being 4 LPA.

Manipal University:

• Manipal promises a 100% placement and more than 90% of students received placements in 2020.
• Students need a 7 point CGPA for getting placements. Mass recruiters like Amazon, Deloitte, and Wipro visit the college.
• The maximum salary package offered is 50 LPA, and the minimum is 3.5 LPA.

Although VJTI and Manipal are on the same level when it comes to placements and teaching quality, students, especially the ones who want to opt for housing, must keep in mind the facilities each college offers to its students while choosing their college of higher education. It is important for students to research the availability of basic necessities so that they can have a good college experience.

The answer to this question total depends on what you want out of that 16 lakh. Expecting a Return Of Investment (ROI) is quite normal. And students studying there have claimed it to be worth every penny.

Let’s start with academics first - 

1. MIT is one of the very few colleges in the country to offer Mechatronics Engineering which itself tells us that their curriculum is always updated.
2. The college is equipped with all the resources and labs and online collection of journals for the students to be an amateur scientist.
3. The curriculum is updated as per the latest requirements. MIT is one of the few private colleges that teaches its students some of the latest software right from their first year.

Now, let’s move the focus to the Campus -

1. MIT has a huge and beautiful campus. The college gives one of the best views into the valley from the hostels. Manipal is a small town, which has less road traffic and the university campus is also a beauty to the eyes.
2. Compared to other private colleges, MIT has liberal rules regarding hostel curfew times and campus discipline. This is mainly because the college trusts its students and though there have been cases where this trust is breached, the authorities know that making strict rules is not the solution.
3. The closest beach from the campus is about 10 km, 15mins away - Malpe Beach. Another beach is about 20 km away - Kaup Beach.
4. Manipal is heavily equipped with student clubs and teams. A student learns more useful and skilful things in these student teams and clubs than in any classroom. These clubs have competitions in tie-up with some big names like Microsoft, National Instrument, Freescale etc

Therefore, MIT is considered an amazing college so a 16 lakh investment seems totally worthy.