If you are opting for an M.Tech in CSE/ECE from IIIT Delhi, consider the course fee as a one-time investment. This course and college have a huge ROI, given that you work really hard during these two years.

The course will cost you somewhere around Rs. 5-6 Lakhs (including all the charges). With an educational loan, you’ll be repaying around Rs 5,70,707 in total (approximately). If you get in through GATE, you’ll get a stipend of Rs. 12,400 per month, which is Rs. 2,97,600 in total. If you spend around 5000 per month, you’ll still save Rs. 1,77,600 from your stipend. So your loan will come down to Rs. 3,93,107.

If you grab a package of 20+ LPA, you’ll get a base salary of Rs. 10-12 LPA. This means an in-hand salary of around Rs. 70-80k per month. Try to save Rs. 40,000 per month. By doing so, you’ll pay your loan within a year. 

Try to be mindful of your savings, and you’ll comfortably sail through. 

IIIT Delhi, although a newly established institute has been fast gaining reputation and has witnessed fast-paced growth over the past few years. Many factors combined have resulted in this. Here are some of the unique traits that helped it gain a reputation in such a short span of time

• Idea: IIIT Delhi brought to life the unique idea of establishing an engineering institute in India, that would restrict its prospective students to only a single branch. Moreover, it had the audacity to set itself in the capital city of India that too with state government assistance.
  Patience: IIIT Delhi has been patiently waiting for the results for a long time now. It began from the library building of another institute, NSIT, and now has shifted to its own accredited campus. 
• Honesty: The professors of IIIT Delhi are known for their academic honesty and don't sugarcoat things to make them look appealing. Their genuineness is a unique trait that attracts students a lot.
• Faculty: IIIT Delhi has an amazing faculty base with huge contacts and connections. They allow you to work with them and are also directly responsible for the updated curriculum the institute delivers.
• Bond: You will be amazed by the harmony between juniors and seniors at IIIT Delhi. Here, seniors are your biggest assets as they guide you with everything from course selection to finding eateries for late-night deliveries.

IIIT Delhi has taken baby steps to become what it is today and it's expected to even get better in the future. 

Instead of branch upgradation, I would like to call it branch change/ transfer. As an alumnus of IIITD, I can tell you about the procedure for branch change in my college-

1. CSE, ECE, CSAM, CSS, CSD, and CSB are the six branches available for branch transfer.
2. Because some courses start differing from 2nd semester onwards, the transfer takes place after semester 1.
3. After semester 1, the admin office sends a notification to all the students along with a form in which they can highlight the branch to which they want to get transferred.
4. Your JEE Main rank plays no role during the branch transfer. Instead, your CGPA decides your fate. Few courses, however, have a grade requirement (B- or above accordingly).
5. Every branch can see an influx/ outflux of 10% of its original strength. For example, if CSE originally had 120 students, 12 can enter it and/or leave it for that batch.

This is the process for branch transfer at IIITD. I would suggest you also talk to the seniors and refer to the official website of IIITD to see if any new changes have been made to this procedure.

Also, to find out about branch changes at NSUT Delhi or DTU, I would recommend you talk to the alumni and administration of both these colleges.

Yes, IIIT Delhi is better than some of the NITs, especially in terms of curriculum. Almost all NITs have outdated curricula while IIIT Delhi revises its curriculum frequently. Almost every engineering college has foundation courses like biology, chemistry, and physics in the first year which students have no choice but to study. These are a waste of time. IIIT Delhi introduces the CSE subjects right from the first year without wasting any time. Moreover, its curriculum is flexible so students get to choose what they want to study.

IIIT Delhi first-year students are taught Intro to Programming with Python, data structures and algorithms with Java, Shell Scripting, and Latex. Graph theory is introduced in the third semester followed by deep learning in the 4th sem. After this, an ECE student is free to choose any CSE stream and finally even sit for the CSE placements. No other engineering college offers such a flexible curriculum throughout India. IIIT Delhi also has an exceptionally good faculty base. 

So, if you have an interest in IT, then IIIT Delhi is better than all NITs and many other good colleges in India.

This is how my interview at IIIT Delhi for M.Tech CSE went-

At first, we took an MCQ based aptitude test. The allotted time was divided section-wise. After that, around 160 people were shortlisted for an interview, and 6-8 panels were formed. Every panel asked a different set of questions. 

I was asked about my background, and the reason for doing an M.Tech. Then the professor asked me for the subjects I was confident in. I chose DS and Algorithms. I had to come up with a suitable data structure for a situation. I had to also write a code for the same. The professor kept on modifying the constraints, and I modified the solutions accordingly.

 It was an intense discussion. At the end, I was asked if I had any questions. Finally, he told me to go. Some panels asked questions on OS, DBMS, CN. Some candidates were even asked questions based on their current job. 

Though I wasn’t selected, the interview experience was quite good for me.

IIIT Delhi is a small college with a small batch size in all programs. This means you will be under the surveillance of your professors more than your counterparts in colleges with huge batch strength. The small batch size also translates to more transparency while grading. Every student will have to work hard to be recognized and you cannot chill because of the rigorous academics.

Another difficulty you might face is that you will have to choose from an excellent variety of courses every semester. You will find this very challenging considering that all the courses will intrigue you and you will have to choose only a few of them.

Honestly, I feel both these disadvantages are actually advantages in disguise. A small batch size also means a better student-teacher ratio and a wide variety of courses makes the curriculum flexible. So, it can be safely concluded that IIIT Delhi has no major disadvantages as of now. 

No, outside Delhi students don’t face any kind of problems or discrimination at IIIT Delhi although it has 85% Delhi reservations. The seniors are very friendly and don’t demand any kind of respect or authority from them. There is no segregation in hostels too. Students of different programs and backgrounds stay together. Students make friends in hostels irrespective of their home state. IIIT Delhi has a ragging-free campus. The Outside Delhi students aren’t treated differently and almost everyone befriends them. 

There haven’t ever been such cases where an outside Delhi student wasn't able to fit in. It’s better not to be influenced by random YouTube videos, social media, and Bollywood. You will be studying with some of the smartest and warmest people!