SVNIT has one of the best hostels, and I personally liked each one that I stayed in. Boys can opt for a single room from second year onwards.

Fresher boys are allotted Gajjar Bhawan, and it is the best hostel for boys, at SVNIT. 2nd year boys are allotted Tagore Bhawan and Nehru Bhawan. Tagore Bhawan has small and cozy rooms, but the small bathrooms are a drawback. 3rd and final year boys get SV Bhawan which has well ventilated single rooms with an attached balcony. Bhabha is another option for 3rd year boys. The good thing about Bhabha is that you can play endless cricket with friends over there. 

The hostel messes are decent. Aamras, ice cream, egg curry, chaas and french fries are some of the good options served in the messes. There is no system of self service, rather the food is given on your plate by the mess staff. Hostel day is the time to eat as much as you want, and dance to your heart’s content. Each hostel has its own mess.

The campus is filled with crows, pigeons and peacocks. The hostels have TT rooms, and hostel sports events are also organized regularly.

The SVNIT hostels have good and safe living conditions. You will enjoy your stay at the institution. 

The reputation of SVNIT has comparatively declined over the years. 

The same is evident from these facts-

1. The NIRF rankings of SVNIT have seen a sharp decline over the years. From the 16th rank in 2016, SVNIT has dropped down to 65th rank in 2023 from among top Engineering Colleges in India.
2. In recent years, a case of corruption in the bus tendering system in SVNIT came to light. A Professor from the Civil department was suspended in this matter.
3. There were also talks of a Promotion Scam, i.e. instead of deserving Professors, other undeserving ones with strong connections were given promotions. The Professors went on a two day strike because of this scam.

Though plenty of improvements have been made in the college infrastructure, I tried to shed light on some of the unfortunate incidents from the past. 

There are plenty other reasons for the declining state of SVNIT, and the administration should take appropriate actions to re-establish the reputation of this institution. 

Here are a few hangout places outside of the SVNIT campus, other than malls-

• The Fish Aquarium at Pal Hazira Road- The aquarium has a large variety of fascinating aquatic life. It is set up like the inside of a real ship, so its architecture is really unique. One of the many attractions is the fishes that have a Neon coloured glow. 

• Neera Vechaan Kendra- Neera is sweet and cool palm nectar. It can be consumed early in the morning only, but refrigeration makes the sale possible till 2 pm. The distribution center for it is located in Chowk Bazaar area.

• Dotiwala's bakery, Ghod Dod Road- This bakery was established by the Dutch upon their arrival in India. It is well known for its butter biscuits, cakes, pastries, confectioneries and puffs. You must visit the place soon.

• Narmad Library, Athwa- It is the largest library in Gujarat, and is located very close to the campus. 

• You must also visit one of the textile mills or textile trade centers to see for yourself what gives Surat an important position in the global maps. If you get the permission, do visit one of the diamondaries as well.

These are some of the places which you can visit in Surat on weekends, and experience something new. 

As a student of SVNIT, I can only shed light on my college. 

• Placements- The placements for B.Tech CSE are decent at SVNIT. It is a fact however, that no college can guarantee 100% placements, and a lot will depend on your knowledge and skill set. 

During 2022, 94 students of B.Tech CSE, out of 106 registered students, were successfully placed from the campus. 44 LPA was the highest package offered, the average package was 15.22 LPA, and the lowest package was 5.56 LPA. 

• Infrastructure and Campus- The SVNIT infrastructure has been recently renovated, and all the departments have been shifted to the new building. The campus is huge and lush green, and you’ll see many peacocks roaming around. The campus is located in the center of Surat city, in a posh locality, and everything is easily accessible in the area. There are plenty of hangout spots near the campus.

• Faculty and Hostels- The faculty of Computer Science department is good. The hostels are pretty good. SVNIT has some of the best hostels among the NITs and IITs. The hostel area, canteen, library and departments have LAN connectivity and Wifi facility, and there’s no usage limit.

• National Recognition- SVNIT is an Institute of National Importance. It is well recognized in the entire country. But I am not sure if SVNIT is internationally recognized. 

SVNIT is a good college for B.Tech CSE. You can definitely consider it for your engineering studies. 

NIT Surat is one of the oldest NITs in India and also the education standards are good. However, the quality of education provided at IITRAM can be compared to that of IITs. It is definitely way better than NITs.

• IITRAM has a unique educational structure and pattern. The main motto and aim of IITRAM are to create skilled engineers.
• IIRAM has been honored with prestigious awards over the years. You can check them on the institute's official website.
• It has a center of excellence. Which helps students by providing industrial knowledge. Coming to the labs and the infrastructure, it is compatible and better than NIT Surat.

Many of my friends choose IITRAM over NIT Surat and they stand by their decision.

SVNIT is a well-reputed engineering college.

Here are some of its distinguishing qualities-

1. The campus is very charming, and it changes color with changing seasons. 
2. The senior junior interaction is very healthy, so we tend to call seniors as sir or ma’am out of respect and admiration instead of fear.
3. “Lite Hai” is a popular phrase on campus, and even professors use it sometimes. The phrase means- it’s fine/doesn’t matter.
4. Divider is the meetup spot of every friends’ group.
5. Like any other NIT, the crowd is richly diverse. We get to meet people from various backgrounds on the campus. This exposure has played a great role in shaping our personality.
6. The student chapters of SVNIT are nationally reputed. Some of them are- ACM, SAE, IEEE, AIESEC, SPICMACAY, etc. The Hack InOut of SVNIT is one of the best in India.
7. The girls in Mechanical are admired for choosing the branch (because it is usually preferred by boys).

SVNIT is a unique experience in itself, and you’ll come to adore this college. 

As a senior I would advise you to never compare your hostel with your home. Hostel life is a unique experience, and you’ll meet people from various backgrounds and cultures. Hostel life will have something in store for you, irrespective of who you are and where you are from. 

Fresher boys are allotted Gajjar Bhawan at SVNIT. It is a four storey building, located at the end corner of the campus. The building is in a good condition with proper air circulation. It is furnished and painted. It is huge enough to also house M.Tech 2nd years and hostel workers. The fresher rooms are spacious and double seater. You’ll get a single room from second year onwards. The rooms are allotted randomly at the time of hostel admission. 

Each room contains two beds, two mattresses and mattress covers, two pillows and pillow covers ( depends upon availability), two chairs, two study tables, one big iron cupboard, one white board, one green board, one LAN connection port and a LAN cable, curtains on the windows, mosquito nets, one fan, three charging slots, one tubelight and one lamp.

The hostel has common washrooms, payable but affordable laundry facility, unlimited Wifi and LAN facility with high speed internet, clean surroundings, the lounge room has English, Hindi and Gujarati daily newspapers, along with some monthly magazines, there is a cycle parking on the ground floor, there are 2-3 table tennis courts, a volleyball ground, a small library, a study room, a TV room, a night canteen and a computer lab with internet facility. 

These are some of the facilities available at the first year hostel. Overall, the hostels at SVNIT are good enough.

Branch change at SVNIT starts before the end-term examination of the second semester. There is a form that needs to be filled before the start of the end term of your 2nd term. You need to fill in details such as your name, current CGPA, admission number, current branch, the choice, and the priority of the branches you want to switch. The results of the branch change will be declared after the results of the 2nd term are announced. Here are the factors on which your chance of getting your preferred branch depends.

• Number of students who have selected the branch to change
• Number of seats left in the branch
• Number of students who want to leave your branch
• Your CGPA at the end of 2nd semester

The most important factor is your CGPA and the popularity of the branch i.e. how many students have opted for that particular branch. For example, if 10 students want to join the CSE branch but it has only 4 seats left, then you need to be in the top 4 students to get the branch.

As per the trends, branches such as ECE, Mechanical Engineering, and CSE are always more in demand and they require a CGPA of more than 9. Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Chemical Engineering are relatively easy and people usually get any one of the three should they apply.

You’ll be given a chance to switch to another branch after your first year. The process is known as branch sliding, and it will be based on your first year CGPA and the vacancy in your preferred branch. 

For Mechanical, try to obtain a 9.2+ CGPA in your first year. For CSE, at least 9.6 is required because there's always a huge competition for this branch. For Electrical, 8.5 is enough. For Chemical, ECE and Civil, an 8 CGPA is enough. 

Try to maintain a good score in your first year for a branch switch at SVNIT.