Selecting the best IIT College in Uttar Pradesh is the largest challenge to face any engineering aspirant. The state has only two IITs – IIT Kanpur and IIT (BHU) Varanasi – but its institutions have perennially churned out India’s top engineers, researchers, innovators and global leaders. The two colleges have excellent reputations on both national and international scales, world-class faculties, state-of-the-art labs, and one of the best placement records in the nation.
Whether you’re shooting for a top-300 JEE Advanced rank or making your way to a legacy-rich IIT with great future prospects, this guidance narrates rankings, fees, application process, placements and career outcomes, helping you make a smart and informed choice. So, let’s take a look at the top engineering colleges in Uttar Pradesh.
IIT Kanpur: The Engineering Powerhouse
Founded in 1959, IIT Kanpur is now the best engineering school in UP. Ranked #4 in NIRF Engineering Rankings 2025, It always manages to be among the best universities making it as top engineering schools in India. The institute provides a high quality of education with its sprawling 1037-acre campus in Kalyanpur, Kanpur.
Admission and Eligibility
The admissions in the undergraduate B.Tech courses of IIT Kanpur are through JEE Advanced only. The cutoff for cse (computer science and engineering) for the year 2025 was 271 in very high competitions. Along with your JEE Advanced score you should have a minimum of 75% in Class 12 (65% for SC/ST categories). The institute accepts GATE scores for some of the postgraduate programmes (depending on the discipline), as well as IIT JAM and CAT scores.
Fee Structure
B.Tech fees is ₹ 2.30 – 2.50 lakhs per year, and ₹ 20,000 to ₹ 30,000 a semester for mess and hostel. So, a higher secondary B.Tech Degree will cost around Rs 8.6 lakhs, which is reasonable for quality education. Apart from these the institute has several other scholarships such as Merit-cum-Means (MCM) Scholarship, schemes for SC/ST students etc.
Career Prospects & Placements
Placement record of IIT Kanpur is known to be excellent. The average package for the B.Tech graduates is between ₹ 26.90 and ₹ 30.86 LPA while the highest package is ₹ 1.9 crore per annum. Top recruiters such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Tata Steel etc. ensure good options in core and tech industries.
IIT (BHU) Varanasi: The Heritage Institution
IIT (BHU) Varanasi was formed in 1919 to deliver vast education to new generations and is still doing it. Its one purpose is served well as everyone can see with their own eyes on the alumni network of IIT BHU. It is also grounded in a tradition of academic excellence spanning centuries, even now it actually tops on the edge and holds 10th position, according to NIRF Engineering Rankings 2025.
Admissions Process & Eligibility Requirement
BHU conducts admissions through JEE Advanced as well, similar to IIT Kanpur. The closing rank for CSE in 2025 was around 2,500, however the cutoff is significantly lower. This means that if you take the JEE via BHU, you could get into a good IIT even if you don’t make a very high rank. For students of general category, minimum 75% is required in class 12 fulfilling the eligibility criteria.
BHU B.Tech Fees
Banaras Hindu University B.Tech program fees range from 3.17 L to 8.51 L for full course, whereas tuition fee is in the range of 1,00,000 to 1,20,000 per semester and hostel fee ranges between 25,000 to 28,000. With this, it rates somewhere around or even less expensive than IIT Kanpur, depending on the branch.
Career Prospects & Placements
BHU has no less amazing placement figures. The highest package is ₹1.68 crore per annum and the average package is ₹22.77 LPA. Over 80% of students were placed in 2024, and the CSE average lies within ₹25-₹28 LPA. Google, Qualcomm, Uber and Goldman Sachs are the top recruiters.
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Making Your Choice
The selection is on the basis of your JEE Advanced score but both colleges are great for education. IIT Kanpur has a slightly better average package as well as branding if you fall under the top 300–400. Then, IIT (BHU) Varanasi is your best bet if your rank lies between 1,500 and 3,000. It combines legacy with excellent career outcomes. In both situations you are paying for the brightest engineering futures in India, twice.
Comparison Between IIT BHU & IIT Kanpur
The top JEE advanced students looking for a slightly better average package and brand name in a tier 2 engineering college should go with IIT Kanpur. It has a good number of students with a rank below 500, as the the #4 ranking for NIRF along with the world class facilities attracts students from all over the country.
IIT BHU Varanasi is equally competitive and is a great choice, though it does have a lower ranking (#15). Owing to a much lower cutoff rank (~2,500 as compared to ~271 for CSE), a lot more students qualify for it and yet it boasts great placement stats. The history of the institution is over 100 years and that provides some historical prestige but that many applicants doesn’t value.
Both universities provide good scholarship opportunities, have good placement and see participation from best global companies. Your decision should be based on your JEE Advanced rank, finances, and if you place more value in brand (Kanpur) or accessibility + heritage (BHU Varanasi).
Conclusion
These are the best IIT colleges in Uttar Pradesh which offer outstanding core academics, research, placements, and student life. If you are a high ranked aspirant and looking for an elite brand name with more research options and slightly higher average packages then IIT Kanpur is the clear winner.
But for hot IIT rank holders in the range of 1,500–3,000 and who want an IIT that combines tradition with bang for your bucks, a rock solid faculty and stellar placements year in and year out, IIT (BHU) Varanasi is the way to go.
Whichever institution you opt for, both pave the way to brilliant careers, worldwide prospects and a life-changing four-year experience of engineering.
