One of my friends studied at Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDPU), Gandhinagar. According to him, it is the right institution to study Petroleum Engineering.

• They have a very good curriculum, updated to match the industry norms.
• The faculties are highly experienced and also includes industry experts taking classes often.
• The infrastructure of PDPU is well maintained. All departments have their own designated buildings.
• The campus has 3 libraries.
• Workshops and Labs are well equipped with the latest technology. They also have a virtual class facility.
• Their auditorium is one of the best in Gujrat.
• Hostels are newly established, hence have all the necessary facilities. 
• The whole campus is wifi enabled.
• They have sports facilities available in the campus, the sports complex is one of the biggest in India. 
• Gandhinagar is the capital of Gujarat and the most planned city of India. It is well connected with proper transport facilities.

PDPU Gandhinagar offers a great campus life. The campus life is also vibrant. They host lots of activities in various areas like coding, gaming, debating, etc. Also, lots of workshops are there for different streams. PDPU Gandhinagar has yearly cultural and technical fests known as ‘Flare’ & ‘Tesseract’ respectively. Overall PDPU is good and also has a strong alumni network.

According to the reviews online, here is a comparison between the two colleges Nirma University and PDPU.

• The campus life is better in PDPU than Nirma, there are a lot of rules and regulations students have to strictly follow.
• In Nirma a 85% attendance is to be maintained by the students to be able to sit for the examinations.
• The overall academic pressure is more in PDPU than Nirma.
• In Nirma, UG students do not get hostels.
• Placements depend more on your branch than the institution.
• CS and IT Nirma are much better than PDPU. Petroleum Engineering is the best in PDPU. Maximum students are hired by ONGC from PDPU.
• Nirma provides much better transportation facilities than PDPU.

Lastly, it can be stated that Nirma is slowly deteriorating, on the other hand PDPU is gaining popularity and recognition. So, if you want to pursue Petroleum Engineering go for PDPU, otherwise Nirma will be a better option.

According to the reviews online, both colleges have their own pros and cons, and here are some comparison points which might help you make an informed decision.

• The location of both the colleges are good, be it Gandhinagar or Dehradun.
• The UPES campus is much bigger compared to the PDPU campus. But both are well maintained and facilitated.
• PDPU provides B.Tech in Petroleum Engineering while UPES provides the same in Applied Petroleum Engineering. The former is considered to be far better and more advantageous than the latter. 
• Curriculum of PDPU is very well prepared encompassing all major aspects. It has now been bifurcated into upstream and downstream.
• Placements at PDPU are much better compared to UPES.
• PDPU is visited by core companies like ONGC but UPES is mostly famous for its relevance among IT companies like Accenture, Wipro, etc.

Lastly, it can be seen that PDPU, even being a newer institution has grown a lot compared to other colleges. They are visited by core companies which hire students offering them a salary package of 14-15 LPA. So, it will be better if you go for PDPU as it will give you proper industrial exposure and opportunities.

According to the reviews online, here are some of the facts about both these colleges, and which one will be the better choice for pursuing chemical engineering.

• Nirma University’s cut off is higher than PDPU.
• Nirma is a much more established and experienced college than PDPU.
• Both colleges have highly qualified and cooperative faculty members.
• The laboratories of PDPU are much more well maintained and upgraded than Nirma, as it is much younger compared to Nirma.
• The labs in PDPU are all facilitated with modern and updated machinery, required for practicals.
• PDPU has a complete air-conditioned campus, whereas in Nirma some classes are not fully air conditioned.
• PDPU being a comparatively newer institution has better, well maintained infrastructure than Nirma.
• PDPU gives students the proper industrial exposure. They conduct events like ‘International Conference on Chemical Industry (ICCI)’, which happens only in the Chemical Department, no other department has organised a grand event in the last 5 years.

Therefore, it is suggested that you go for PDPU if fees are not your primary concern. Students at PDPU will definitely get better opportunities for chemical engineering than Nirma. Even if Nirma is a more experienced institution, the newer approach of PDPU will always help you get accustomed to the functioning in today’s industries.