AKTU’s Review and Verdict by CollegeDekho

Campus at a Glance

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) was formerly known as Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU). Established in Lucknow by the Government of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, AKTU is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and is also a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). As per Technical Education, the university offers programmes of education, research and training in Engineering, Technology, Architecture, Town Planning, Pharmacy, Applied Arts and Crafts and other streams. At present, there are more than 764 affiliated colleges/ institutions of AKTU that offer graduate, postgraduate and doctoral level courses.

One of the largest technical universities in India, AKTU has been subdivided into 5 zones with 150-160 colleges/ institutions in each zone. Several zone-wise competitions are arranged by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University to enhance the teaching and learning process in these colleges. There is a specific training and placement cell of the university that is responsible for the recruitment of students. AKTU has set up different collaborations and industry relations with other universities/ institutes in India and abroad.

Although it is the largest technical university, the placement record of AKTU is not up to the mark according to students. We will dissect AKTU in terms of its placements, infrastructure, rankings, etc and present our verdict to you all. 

AKTU NIRF Ranking

AKTU is a popular and one of the biggest technical universities in India and has been ranked among India's top 50 universities/ institutions by several agencies. Check out the NIRF Ranking 2023 for affiliated/ associated engineering colleges of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow:

AKTU Recognition

• AKTU colleges have proven their all-around academic excellence by securing a rank among NIRF's top 200 colleges in India, including technical institutes in the country.
• The university has been recognised and approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi.
• Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College affiliated with Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University has received a NAAC A++ grade. 

AKTU Accreditations 

• AKTU Lucknow is accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
• AICTE approves all technical courses offered by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University.
• More than 40 institutions (affiliated with AKTU) are accredited by the NBA (National Bureau of Accreditation)
• All pharmacy courses are approved by PCI (Pharmacy Council of India)
• All education courses are passed by NCTE (National Council of Teacher Education)

Our Take:

Around 400 engineering institutes are currently under AKTU and the NIRF rankings of some of these colleges are quite satisfactory. The NAAC grades received by most affiliated colleges of AKTU are A++. The university can still work more to improve its NIRF rankings for the engineering department. 

AKTU Academia & Batch Size

Various UG, PG and PhD courses are offered to students at AKTU. The Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University courses comprise 20+ programmes offered at over 200 disciplines at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels. These courses are offered in popular fields such as engineering, management, computer application, pharmacy, architecture, design, fine arts and many more. The university also offers modern specialisations such as fashion design, hotel management, animation, graphic design, etc. The B.Tech course is considered the most popular degree offered by AKTU and is available in 41 different specialisations. The university has over 4 lakh students enrolled in different programmes in AKTU-affiliated colleges and institutions throughout Uttar Pradesh. 

Courses Offered

The undergraduate courses offered at Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University are Bachelor of Technology, Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Hotel Management & Catering Technology. The postgraduate programmes available at AKTU are M.Pharma, MBA, MCA, M.Tech and others. 

Fees

Let us take a look at the various course fees of AKTU:

Scholarship

AKTU offers financial assistance to UG and PG students in the form of scholarships to meritorious students belonging to the reserved category under the UP State Scholarship scheme regulations and whose family income is not more than INR 1 lakh per annum. Students who are enrolled in Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University are permitted to register themselves for AKTU fee-waiver scholarship schemes through the "Scholarship & Fee Reimbursement Online System of UP State" scheme.

The AKTU Scholarship is authorised to provide financial help to M.Tech students in the form of a stipend worth INR 18,000 per month through the Ministry of Human Resources Department. To be eligible for this stipend, candidates should have qualified for the GATE entrance exam.

Candidates enrolled in the PhD course at AKTU are eligible for a monthly stipend of INR 31,000 from MHRD for the first two years of the degree and a monthly stipend of INR 35,000 for the next three years of their course of study. However, after completing five years, if students are still working on their Doctoral degree, they are provided monthly financial aid of INR 12,000 for only one year. PhD scholars are eligible for a stipend if they have cleared a national-level entrance examination such as the UGC/ CSIR NET (JRF) examination, SET, GATE (with a valid score) or Teacher Research Fellowship.

Our Take:

A wide variety of courses are offered to the students which means they can choose a course according to their eligibility and preference. The fee structure at AKTU is quite affordable and won’t cut a hole in the pocket. B.Tech is the most popular course at the university. Students have said that the university takes counselling fees and promises to refund them if the student does not take admission, however, the online website through which the refund can be claimed does not work sometimes, thus lengthening the process.

AKTU Infrastructure

The campus of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University has everything a student will require for their overall development. The university campus is located at Jankipuram in the heart of the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. AKTU believes in providing students with the best environment for learning and the most advanced infrastructure for professional growth. The university has a well-equipped computer lab, WiFi connectivity throughout the campus, a spacious auditorium equipped with advanced technology and facilities, a complete departmental library and a central library, smart and advanced classrooms, a canteen, and a well-maintained tennis court. Hostel accommodation with mess facilities is also available to students. 

The AKTU campus also has residential staff quarters, a healthcare centre that is operational 24 hours, and an administration block. The campus is well equipped with a sports ground for indoor and outdoor games, a gym, an ATM, and shopping facilities.

Hostel 

Some affiliated colleges of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University are equipped with a hostel facility, while in a few colleges, there are no hostels provided. However, students enrolled in those colleges can opt for PG rooms available nearby at affordable rent rates. The hostels have recreational facilities such as TVs, health clubs, indoor games, and PCOs. Every hostel has its live-in wardens and a faculty member who assists with the accommodation. Students must know that admission to AKTU doesn't assure guaranteed hostel accommodation due to the limited capacity of the hostels. The university offers accommodation to students based on various factors. 

Gym 

The gym is part of a few colleges of AKTU facilities. Students can take care of their health and fitness by making use of this gym installation provided by the university. The gym is well-equipped with exercise and training equipment. 

Sports 

The college campuses have outdoor and indoor games facilities for the recreation of students including basketball, badminton, tennis courts, cricket, and football grounds. The campus sports ground also has a running track. AKTU also encourages sports like weight lifting, taekwondo, trekking, and mountaineering. 

Cafeteria 

The air-conditioned cafeteria facilities provided by the university include Chinese, Indian, and South Indian cuisines. There is another split cafeteria available for coffee and snacks on the campus. The quality and number of cafeterias vary for different colleges.

Auditorium 

All colleges affiliated to AKTU have functional auditoriums that are used for academic talks, conferences, seminars, slide and film shows, demonstrations, lectures, workshops, etc. The capacity of auditoriums and the facilities attached to it varies for each college.

Wifi 

AKTU has high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity in all laboratories, libraries, hostels, auditoriums, seminar halls, and even guest houses. The campus has been using the new standard for next-generation wireless technology for Wi-Fi networks so that the teachers, students, and support staff can easily access the data, voice, multimedia, and video conferencing services as well as research, e-learning, and business applications.

IT Infrastructure 

AKTU Lucknow has set up facilities for the in-house use of e-mail, computers, and internet services for all students, project staff, and faculty members. The IT infrastructure offers a variety of E-services to the students in the context of literature search, computation, and graphics.

Laboratories 

AKTU Lucknow laboratories are air-conditioned and equipped with various modern instrumental facilities related to all fields. They are sophisticated but well-equipped, and more than 40 students can perform their experiments simultaneously. The instruments available in the laboratory include a UV spectrophotometer: Double beam OD measurement, a Magnetic stirrer, and a Multi-parameter with 6 parameters, namely pH, TDS, ORP, Salinity, Temp, millivolt, Hot air oven, Digital oven, Rotary flask shaker, UV transilluminator, Dual Orbitex shaker with compressor and many more. For every branch, the university has provided modern instruments-equipped laboratories such as Civil Engineering labs, computer labs, mechanical labs, Google code labs, automation labs, language labs, nanotechnology labs, cyber city labs, textile dyeing labs, and textile printing, designing, and manufacturing labs.

Convenience stores 

The AKTU campuses have departmental store facilities in a few of its colleges to help the students with daily shopping. The numbers may vary from college to college.

Alumni Associations 

The alumni association of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University is one of the largest networks among all Indian universities. The university is quite proud to have a collective of more than 3 lakh alumni who have been working as social scientists, scientists, literary critics, civil servants, media experts, journalists, foreign language experts, political leaders, technologists, social activists, entrepreneurs, and managers over the last 46 years and more. 

Banks Facilities 

The banking facilities at ATKU include an SBI branch and ATMs on almost all college campuses. If there are few which do not have the branch inside the campus, they have successfully set it up to the nearest college.

Library 

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University has many libraries functioning under its various colleges. These libraries are equipped with a broad collection of books in specialised areas.

Innovation Cell

AKTU has established the "Kalam Center for Innovation and Incubation of Startups (K-CIIS)” with the goal of beginning a startup culture across all affiliated and associated colleges. K-CIIS is a dedicated cell to create an ecosystem for promoting research, innovations, and startups for students by developing an end-to-end mentorship and incubation model for potential startups.

Our Take:

The facilities and infrastructure available at AKTU are very good. The labs and classrooms are WiFi-enabled and are totally dedicated to different courses. The library present in the university is available for all the students 24*7. The students have stated that the university campus is clean and well-maintained. Students can access the gym facilities and the AKTU library has e-journals, e-lectures, online course materials, and other facilities.

AKTU Internships & Placements

The AKTU placements are taken care of by the Central Training and Placement Cell (CTPC) which helps students to get placed in reputed companies and organisations. Students are also provided training programmes on personality development and communication skills to help them prepare better for the recruitment process. AKTU also conducts mock tests and practice session classes on Aptitude, Quantitative Ability, and Logical Reasoning to make students practice and get a better grip before appearing for the final interview and written test. With the combined efforts of the AKTU placement cell and team, more than 10,984 students have been placed in prominent companies such as Wipro, Capgemini, Accenture, Cognizant, and many more.

Internships

Centre for Advanced Studies, Lucknow is an autonomous Uttar Pradesh State Government research-driven institution of AKTU and is from the AKTU, Lucknow campus. Centre for Advanced Studies invites applications for summer internship/ summer training from B.Tech and M.Tech students. The internship programmes are held for 4 to 6 week duration. The official website of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University does not have much information regarding internship opportunities.  

[Source: AKTU website]

Placement

At the beginning of the placement season, a total of 7,000 students registered in the campus placement drive for the year 2022 at the various affiliated colleges under AKTU. The university has maintained a 90% placement record, offering salary packages that range from INR 1 lakh per annum to as high as INR 20 lakh per annum. Overall, AKTU has provided more than 25,000 placement chances to over 700 affiliated colleges. The AKTU placement cell held an exclusive female-centric on-campus placement drive with Gainsight Software Pvt Ltd. with 22 female students being shortlisted and 14 being offered a salary package of INR 15 lakh per annum. 

AKTU Placement Statistics

In the last two years, it has been noticed that there has been an increase in the average package offered at Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University and AKTU-affiliated colleges.

AKTU Placements Package Trends

Top Recruiters

The top recruiters who hire students from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University are:

Our Take:

As per the statistics and review by the student, the placement opportunity at AKTU has gone down this year despite the average package witnessing an increase. The packages offered to students are low as compared to industry standards and negligible internship opportunities are provided. Only a limited number of students have the opportunity to have hands-on experience through internships. Not much information can be found on AKTU’s official website. 

AKTU Diversity and Demographics

As per the available data, it is seen that students from their home state i.e. Uttar Pradesh take admission in the majority to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University. There is scope to enrol students from other states of India in order to improve diversity. There is also a huge gap in the number of male students to female students. However, the placement cell is making an effort so that more female students join the university. 

Gender Participation

Demographic Representation

As per the statistics, the students from outside India are very low in number. 99% of the students studying at AKTU are from India. 

Collaborations

The university has signed MoUs with some colleges/ institutions in India. Check out the list of colleges that collaborated with AKTU.

Our Take:

The university does not have a diverse community of students as most of the students hail from UP. Additionally, the total strength of female students is quite low as compared to male students. AKTU has collaborated with a few agencies but the university still has a lot to cover in terms of international collaboration and recognition. 

AKTU Faculty/ College Administration & Management

According to the present students and alumni, the teachers of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University are very helpful and well-qualified. All the teachers are M.Tech holders and the teaching method of the faculty is quite helpful. The students have also stated that course curricula are relevant and efficient. Students have also reported that the semester exams are sometimes difficult.

Our Take:

According to the students, the faculty members of AKTU are helpful and have proper experience in the required fields. Students have reported that most of the colleges under AKTU provide a trained faculty and exceptions are quite less in number.

AKTU Location

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University is located at Sector 11, Jankipuram, Vistar Yojna, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow is the nearest airport which is located about 30 km away from the campus. The closest bus station to AKTU is the bus depot in Qaisar Bagh which is located about 12 km away. The nearest train station of the AKTU campus is Bakshi Ka Talab terminal which is located about 8 km away.

The university is far from the main city of Lucknow and there might be transportation problems for students. No information can be found on the official website of AKTU about the transportation facilities provided by the university. From the airport, students can get prepaid taxis that will cost around INR 800 to reach Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow. People can also catch a metro train from the Amausi Metro line at Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport to Munshipulia Metro station. From Munshipulia Metro station, they can take a cab/ auto rickshaw to AKTU which will cost around INR 150. 

Our Take:

Although AKTU is situated in Lucknow, it is not located in the main city. Students need to take a bus, taxi or auto to reach the university. There is a metro facility as well in Lucknow which the students can access. The university, however, does not provide transport facilities which makes it difficult for students to travel. Daily commute or going to the city can be a challenge for students.

AKTU Expectation vs Reality - CollegeDekho Verdict

AKTU is a reputable university that has a number of affiliated colleges/ institutes. Students of the university also have access to diverse academic programmes and research opportunities. The engineering department is quite popular and the teachers are skilled and experienced. The placement cell is very helpful and does all the necessary things so that the students are placed. 

The university needs to work on the placement opportunities and other aspects that will help improve its ranking. More international partnerships are required to enhance the visibility of AKTU at the global level. The university should also focus on expanding hostel facilities in order to accommodate and enrol more students from different states.

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