Free tool · 5 minutes

College choice scorecard

Two or three offers on the table and everyone giving different advice? Put the colleges side by side. Check that each one is valid first, then score what matters to you.

By Anuj Arora · Last verified: 9 Nov 2026

How it works

Two steps to choosing a college Step one: is the college valid? Check that the university is on UGC's list, is not on the fake-university list, that the course is approved by its regulator, and for online or distance study that the programme is on the UGC-DEB list. Any no means you drop the college. If all are yes, step two: rate eight factors, weighted by how important each is to you, to get a score out of 100. 1 · Is it valid? University on UGC's list Not on the fake list Course approved by its regulator Online/distance: on DEB list all yes 2 · Is it right for you? Rate 8 factors from 1 to 5 Weight each by importance Get a score out of 100 highest score = best fit for you Any "no": drop the college
A high score cannot rescue a college that fails step 1. How to run each check: Is this college genuine?

Your colleges

Name up to three colleges

Step 1 · Validity check

Tick only what you have confirmed yourself, on the official website.

Step 2 · Rate each college

1 = poor, 5 = excellent. Set how much each factor matters to you; cost and placements start at High.

Where to find honest numbers

FactorWhere to lookWatch out for
PlacementsNIRF data the institute submitted (nirfindia.org, or the institute's own site)The "highest package". Ask for the median salary and the share of students placed
Total costThe institute's fee notice for your batchHostel, mess, exam and "development" fees left out of the headline figure
Accreditation and ranknaac.gov.in · nbaind.org (engineering programmes) · nirfindia.orgNAAC is moving from letter grades to accredited or not; older grades still appear
FacultyThe department page: names, qualifications, full-time or visitingA long list of "visiting" faculty with few full-time teachers
Student viewTwo or three current students, met on campus or reached through alumni groupsPaid reviews and ranking sites that sell advertising to colleges

Visit before you pay

See the labs and library in use on a working day, eat in the mess, and look at the hostel room you will actually get. Half an hour on campus tells you more than any brochure.

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Sources

  1. NAAC: institutions no longer graded · NAAC grades to be replaced by a binary system
  2. Official sites: ugc.gov.in, deb.ugc.ac.in, nirfindia.org, naac.gov.in, nbaind.org

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