One of my friends is studying at Model Engineering College (MEC) in Kerala. According to her insights, MEC is APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) affiliated. In the past, it was CUSAT affiliated but not anymore. Academic Eligibility Passes HSE Kerala or recognized equivalent exam with 50% in Mathematics separately and 50 % marks in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry/ Biotech/ CS / Biology in aggregate for admission. Selection Eligibility The selection depends upon the entrance exam KEAM, conducted by CEE Kerala. It has two papers. Paper-I includes Physics and Chemistry, and Paper-2 is Mathematics. A rank list is prepared according to which seats are allotted. The branches offered by the institute are CSE, ECE, EEE, Electronics and Biomedical Engineering, and ME. There are 420 seats for B.Tech in aggregate. According to her, it is better to go for CUSAT than MEC Kerala. The opportunities offered are more in CUSAT. Overall, you cannot get admission to MEC Kerala based on CUSAT.

Having friends studying in both institutes, I can say that MEC has a better (on-campus) placement record than SOE CUSAT. CUSAT is also good overall but passing papers is such a difficult challenge. Only a few candidates are eligible to participate in placements. As a result, most of the companies hesitate to visit campus for placements. But students are doing well in off-campus placements. This institution was originally part of Cochin University, and it was regarded as one of the university's best colleges in terms of amenities, location, and excellent faculty. However, this college, along with many others, has recently merged to become Kerala Technical University, resulting in a drop in demand for admission. This has improved the facilities and educational quality and certificate value for CUSAT at both campuses. The top scorers tend to opt for CUSAT rather than KTU.

It depends upon a lot of parameters. If you wish to enjoy it, definitely go for MEC. It might not be such a good choice as far as infrastructure is concerned, but it does excel in the aspects which matter the most, the prime aspect being, a secure future.  If you have a look at the placement statistics, they would show you the return on investment you would get in MEC. Being a small college unlike SOE, the students get to know most of the people in college. As far as teaching and placements are concerned, MEC is far better than SOE. Categories CUSAT MEC Course Fee 3.53 lakh 1.05-1.54 lakh Placement Percentage 75-80% 90% Highest CTC 15 LPA 20 LPA Average CTC 5-6 LPA 8 LPA Recruiting Companies Infosys, L&T, IBM, TCS, etc. Amazon, Flipkart, Deloitte, TCS, etc. If you go by the outside world, people might even call it a ‘school’, but unless you experience it yourself, you will never know the uniqueness. It all depends upon you. If you want to balance your studies as well as have fun MEC would be best for you. But, at the end of the day, it’s you, not the college. As both the institutes have an equal status in their own unique ways.