Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani) is regarded as the best private institute for technical education in India. They have established 4 campuses with 3 of them in India in the cities of Pilani, Hyderabad, and Goa and the 4th one is in Dubai. These colleges were formed under the Birla education trust which was formed in 1943. Consistently being ranked among the top 10 colleges of engineering in India, BITS Pilani, is one of the most sought after colleges apart from the IITs and NITs and there is a fierce competition to earn a seat in one of these institutions. BITS has had 3 campuses set up in India now – BITS Pilani, BITS Hyderabad, and BITS Goa.
BITs Goa, which was founded in 2004, is a technical and science institute for higher education in India. The craze of experiencing college life in a place like Goa along with the great quality of curriculum and teaching methodology of BITS Goa is what makes a student desire a seat in this institution.
With the season of admissions approaching, here are some points about BITS Pilani, Goa Campus that you might want to look upon before taking a decision:
- Admission Procedure
- Courses Offered
- Cut-offs
- Academics
- Fee Structure
- Campus
- Training – Practise Schools
- Research Opportunities
- Placements
- College Life
- Festivals and Events
Admission Procedure
Admission to the undergraduate programs of BITS Goa is on the basis of the marks scored by the candidate in the All India entrance exam called BITS Admission Test (BITSAT). This exam is conducted during the month of May and it tests students in their knowledge of Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Reasoning and analytical skills in logic and English. Important point to be noted about BITS is that there are no seats reserved on the basis of caste. The admissions are made purely on the basis of merit in BITSAT examination. BITS also has the policy of accepting State and National Board toppers from India.
Courses Offered
4 year degree programs –
B.E.(HONS.)
- Chemical
- Computer Science
- Electronics & Communication
- Electrical and Electronics
- Electronics & Instrumentation
- Mechanical
5 year dual-degree programs –
M.SC.(HONS.)
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Economics
- Mathematics
- Physics
Higher degree courses offered –
- M.E.(Biotechnology)
- M.E.(Chemical)
- M.E. (Embedded Systems)
- M.E. (Design Engineering)
- M.E. (Software Systems)
For further information on the various other courses offered in other campuses of BITS, refer here.
BITS Goa Cut-Offs
BITS Pilani, Goa Campus Cutoff 2016 :
As mentioned earlier, since BITS follows strictly no-reservation policy, the cut-off scores for admission in various courses in the same for all.
| program | BITSAT-2016 score |
| B.E.(Hons.) | |
| B.E. Chemical | 301 |
| B.E. Electrical and Electronics | 331 |
| B.E. Mechanical | 322 |
| B.E. Computer Science | 358 |
| B.E. Electronics & Instrumentation | 312 |
| M.Sc.(Hons.) | |
| M.Sc. Biological Sciences | 297 |
| M.Sc. Chemistry | 300 |
| M.Sc. Economics | 315 |
| M.Sc. Mathematics | 310 |
| M.Sc. Physics | 307 |
Academics
The academic course structure of BITS Goa is governed by the university of BITS Pilani. However, each campus has its own autonomous administration, student welfare division, faculty recruitment and placement division. Being an autonomous institute, students also have options of other programs apart from the ones they are admitted in. This may be done by aid of various systems such as –
Dual Degree System –
BITS Pilani, Goa Campus offers a dual degree to the students of Master of Science programs. Under the dual degree scheme, a student is offered two separate degrees on graduation : a degree in Master of Science (Hons.) and in Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) However, the program increases the duration of his/her stay on campus by at least two semesters. The compulsory disciplinary courses of the second program are completed in the seventh and eighth semesters. The final year (ninth and tenth semester) is dedicated for two, semester long, off campus industrial training internships or master’s thesis.
Program Transfer –
BITS Goa also offers flexibility in opting for other courses or to transfer from one program to another at the end of first year, if the student has performed well in academics.
- If the student is in the top 10 among full batch of students of the campus in terms of CGPA after their first year, then it is allowed for the student to take a B.E. + B.E. dual degree.
- If the student is in the top 30 students of the campus in terms of CGPA after their first year, one can abandon their degree for another, i.e. transfer from one program to another.
BITS Goa also gives due importance to Humanities and Arts and it is mandatory for a student to take at least three humanity courses in total.
Campus
The campus of BITS Goa is located in Zuarinagar, Goa, on the banks of the Zuari River. Around 2600 students reside in the campus. The campus of BITS Goa was listed as number 7 in the list of the most beautiful campuses in India by HolidayIQ.com. Situated in the surroundings of the bank of river Zuari, the campus boasts of a unique scenic beauty and panoramic view of waterways, forests, landscapes and hillocks. The BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus, is about 10 kms south of Vasco-da-Gama, 20 kms north of Margaon and 7 kms east of Goa Airport, along National Highway – 17B, Bypass road. The Campus houses the Main building, having academic and administrative offices, Guest House, Hostels for boys and girls, Student Activity Centre, faculty and staff quarters, Medical Centre, Playground and Shopping Complex.
As far as sports facilities is concerned, BITS Goa encourages its students for active participation in different sports and for the same along with a common playground and courts for Basketball, Tennis and Badminton, BITS Goa Campus has a BCCI-recognized cricket ground maintained by the Goa Cricket Association that has hosted several national level tournaments such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy and a football ground maintained by Salgaocar F.C.
Fee structure
The academic and hostel fee structure of BITS Goa is as follows –
INSTITUTE FEE
| Particulars | Amount |
| Caution Money (One Time, Refundable) | ₹3,000 |
| One Time Fees | ₹28,050 |
| Tuition Fee (per Semester) | ₹1,13,300 |
| Annual Fees | ₹675 |
| Total | ₹1,45,025 |
HOSTEL FEE
| Particulars | Amount |
| Hostel Fees (per Semester) | ₹12,000 |
| Mess & Electricity Advance (per Semester) | ₹10,000 |
| Total | ₹22,000 |
Training for students/ Practise schools –
Practise school (PS) program is associated with all the BITS Pilani campuses in India. The Practice school program constitutes of PS-1 and PS-2.
This program serves as an excellent plaform for the students to develop their technical, industrial skills and exposes the students to industry standards. As per this program, which is a 8 week long program offered in the summer following second year (PS 1) and five and a half months during the final year (PS 2), aims to familiarise the students to industry working environment. In PS 2, Students are intended to assume a significant role and are meant to work on developmental projects in the company. Every student is assigned a PS mentor at the industry for guidance and monitoring progress.
Practise school is mandatory for every student and carries a part of credits in their degree studies. The grading is done by the Off-Campus BITS Faculty and the mentor under whom the student did the project. The allocation in this program is done on the basis of the academic record of the students and every station can accommodate as many as 6-7 students.
If not interested in industrial project and if the student wants to pursue research in future then studetns can opt for a thesis in a particular area of interest instead of PS 2, and the thesis is to be done under a professor of either BITS Goa or of any other institute.
Research @ BITS Goa
The system of education at BITS Goa provides for a large number of students at all levels of the educational programs to get involved in research that exploits the multidisciplinary educational base emerging out of the broad-based integrated education in engineering, science and humanities. Strong emphasis is laid on interdisciplinary, mission-oriented and relevant research. To promote research activities, a Research and Consultancy department was established. The Research and Consultancy Division assists and coordinates –
- Faculty members to obtain funding from national and international agencies by submitting research projects.
- Promote collaborative research activities with industries.
- Encourage participation of faculty and students in national and international conferences and forums and of repute; publication of research papers, monographs, etc.
- Support new and innovative areas of relevant research leading to product or process development.
- Promote establishment of industry sponsored research centers.
6. Identify areas and create an environment for consultancy services to be taken up by different academic groups.
BITS Pilani provides regular students and working professionals an excellent opportunity to pursue their higher studies under the M.E, M. Pharm and Ph. D degree programs. BITS offers attractive scholarships/partial tuition fee waiver schemes for deserving students.
Placements –
BITS Goa over the years has shown great statistics in terms of the percentage of students getting placed. The institute has 90% success rate and round 150 companies visit the campus every year during placement season to recruit candidates. In terms of the package offered, a lot of companies make high offers, especially, in the computer science field. Last year, the highest package offered was around 1.4 crore per annum and the previous year similar package was offered by Google.
The placement season starts during the start of 7th semester for undergraduate students. For details about the placement scenario in BITS, refer here. Some of the top recruiters that visit BITS Goa are :
- Accenture
- Intel
- Amazon
- ANZ Grindlays
- L&T
- Microsoft
- Mercedes Benz
- TATA Motors
- HP
- Infosys
- CODE NATION
- GOLDMAN SACHS
- INTEL
- JP MORGAN
College Life @ BITS Goa
Being situated in the city, you won’t fall short of places to hang around in the campus as well as outside the campus. An excellent academic curriculum clubbed with the craze of living a college life in the city of Goa is what makes BITS Goa as one of the favourite colleges with higher preference among students.
One can find students from various parts and corners of the nation taking admission here, so the college boasts of rich-cultural diversity. Apart from the academics, the colleges promotes participation of students in extra-curricular activities and sports. For the same, various clubs and teams are formed so that students can pursue their hobbies and non-academic interests. Some of these are –
- Music club
- Dance club
- Drama club
- Debate and Literary Club
- Quiz club
- Celestia (Astronomy Club)
- Sports teams – Cricket, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Hockey, etc
Festivals and Events
Throughout the academic year, various events are organised by the students as well as the college to expose students to a variety of cultural, social and recreational opportunities.
Some of the notable events are –
Quark is the annual techno-managerial and innovation festival held in and by the BITS-Pilani, K.K. Birla Goa Campus. With a plethora of competitions and exhibitions to challenge one’s expertise as well as palpate ones curiosity, Quark sets the stage for face-offs between the best minds in the disciplines of engineering, science and management. It organizes workshops in various technical and corporate areas, giving participants an opportunity to tread new fields by gaining hands-on practical knowledge from eminent professionals. The fest has been graced by the presence of distinguished personalities from various fields. Notable personalities include the Former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Nobel Laureates like Sir Harold Kroto and Prof Douglas Osheroff, eminent scientists such as Dr. Chris Phillips and Dr. Vic Hayes, and many more.
SPREE is a Sports festival organized with the sole aim of promoting sports and social interaction amongst colleges from India and abroad. The events organised are for both boys and girls in the sports of Football, Basketball, Cricket, Badminton, Taekwondo, etc.
Waves is the annual cultural festival of BITS Goa Campus. It is a three-day-long festival held in the late October – early November period. The first edition was in 2006, and in spite of being a relatively new festival, it has attracted considerable media attention and many prominent sponsors over the years. Today Waves is counted among the top 10 Cultural festivals in India. Every year, the fest is based on a different theme and over the years the footfall of the fest has increased to 35,000 students from as many as 150 different colleges. As a part of this festival, various events such as workshops, competitions, Pro nights are organised. The Pro nights are a major attraction, with every night in the three night festival dedicated to a different genre. The workshops organized are very interesting and include classes on Mocktail Making, Siporex Art, Graffiti Making, Hip-Hop Dancing and other such creative arts.
TEDxBITSGoa, India’s first university-hosted, student-run TEDx event is also the longest-running TEDx event in the country. It has grown in stature over the years and has featured people such as Kiran Bedi, Kalki Koechlin, Clinton Cerejo and many others.
Right since its inception, BITS Goa has made significant strides in academics and cultural activities in a very short time. This institute is certainly one of the top engineering colleges in India and if not, it will surely be there in the next few years. Hope this article helped you in gaining some insight on BITS Goa. Information on other campuses of BITS came be obtained here. Make a wise and well thought-out decision.
Go through a similar article on BITS Pilani, Pilani campus here.
All the best!
