EVALUATION

The continuous evaluation system at BITS is comprised of tests, quizzes and assignments, which can be held as frequently as every week. Mid-semester and comprehensive examinations, held in the middle and end of the semester respectively, usually follow a cumulative syllabus pattern. These examinations may be open-book, closed-book, or a combination of both. The weight of each component in the final grade is decided by the Instructor in Charge of the course. The grading for most courses is relative. As a result, a student’s performance needs to be consistently superior to their batchmates in order to obtain a high CGPA.

PRACTICE SCHOOL

The Practice School (PS) system at BITS aims to integrate university learning with practical experience in the industry. In essence, Practice School is a college-organized internship. PS-1 is of five units and spans a period of 8 weeks in the summer after the second year. PS-2 is of twenty units and takes up one full semester of the fourth year. Dual degree students can spend both semesters of the fifth year in different PS stations. PS stations are allocated on the basis of CGPA and personal preference. Students are allowed to exchange PS-2 for a thesis to gain exposure to different fields of research. PS-2 stations often offer a monthly stipend, and may even provide accommodation and travel reimbursement.

ELECTIVES

Electives are courses that can be taken up by students from the second year onwards. Single degree students have to complete a minimum of three humanities electives, four core discipline electives and five open electives. Dual degree students must complete the discipline elective requirements of both their branches but are exempt from open electives. Humanities electives range widely in their content and structure, with courses on topics such as Modern Politics, Advertising, Cross Cultural Studies and Linguistics. Open electives allow students to explore subjects beyond the scope of their discipline, but these courses may have certain prerequisites.

STUDY/LABORATORY/DESIGN ORIENTED PROJECTS

SOPs, LOPs and DOPs provide students with first hand project/research experience in a domain of their choice. These Project type courses, whilst not mandatory, can be pursued under the direction of a faculty member only on request and on the fulfilment of the professor’s requirements, if any. The professor may be a part of a different academic department than the student. Project type courses often act as a replacement for electives and are typically worth three units.

MINORS

Minors are certified programmes on specific topics offered by BITS. Minor programs offered during the year 2019-20 include Data Science, Finance, Physics, Film and Media (F&M), and Philosophy, Economics and Politics (PEP). Students are required to complete at least 5 courses—or a minimum of 15 units—for a minor. However, a specific minor may require more courses/units. Courses for a minor comprise core subjects as well as electives, to be chosen from a pool. Students choose minors at the end of the second year, and the courses of the minor are distributed over the remaining semesters. Certain minors are allotted on a CGPA basis.

BRANCH TRANSFERS

Those who wish to change their existing degree can apply for a branch transfer at the end of the first year. A transfer can be between any two degrees and is decided by a student’s first two semesters’ CGPA. While the cut-offs vary between branches, a CGPA of at least 9 is required. Those looking to transfer to a highly competitive branch like computer science should aim for a perfect 10.

DUAL DEGREES

BITS Pilani is well known for its unique dual degree scheme, which allows students to graduate with two degrees in five years. Students who enrol in the M.Sc. (Hons.) programme are guaranteed the option of pursuing a B.E. (Hons.) degree simultaneously. The second degree is allotted to students at the end of the first year based on their preference and CGPA. Those enrolling into the B.E. (Hons.) programme can also opt for a dual degree, but these combinations require a much higher CGPA. All dual degree combinations take 5 years to complete.

Approximate CGPA cut-offs for the dual B.E. (Hons.) degree for students who joined the Pilani campus in 2017 with an M.Sc. (Hons.). These cut-offs vary each year and are only meant to be indicative of actual cut-offs.

Computer Science 8.18

Electrical and Electronics 7.45

Electronics and Instrumentation 7

Mechanical 6.595

Chemical 5.91

Manufacturing 5.18

Civil 4.5

(data sourced from the Students’ Union, Pilani Campus)

EARLY/LATE GRADUATION

BITS Pilani provides the option to overload courses for those who aim to graduate early.

Overloading is the act of taking up more credits in a semester than prescribed by the regular course structure. Although overloading significantly increases workload, completing early allows for an extra semester of internships or research, making the scheme worthwhile. On the other hand, the institute also allows students to do fewer than the prescribed number of courses or even take a semester long sabbatical, and thus graduate late.

SCHOLARSHIPS

To make education at BITS affordable for a larger group of students, the Student Welfare Division (SWD) of BITS Pilani and the BITS Alumni Association (BITSAA) have created the Merit-cum-Need (MCN) scholarships. All students admitted to the integrated first degree program are eligible for these scholarships, and their award is decided at the end of each semester.

1. Merit Scholarships:

These reimburse 80% of the semester fees for the top 1% of the students and 40% of the semester fees for the top 2% of students. These are based purely on merit and thus require a very high CGPA, typically greater than 9.5, although cutoffs vary between semesters. 

2. Merit cum Need Scholarships:

These reimburse varying proportions of the semester fees for students–in segments of 80%, 40% and 25%. As of the second semester, 2019-20, 27% of students are granted these scholarships. To be eligible, the gross annual income of students’ parents/guardian from all sources should be less than or equal to the maximum value prescribed by the scholarships committee. The prescribed value for the second semester of 2018-19 was INR 10,00,000 per annum. The CGPA requirement for Merit-cum-Need scholarships is lower than that of Merit scholarships.

STUDENT AID FUND

The Student Aid Fund (SAF) is another scholarship provided by SWD to those in need. A number of documents need to be submitted to certify the annual incomes of a student’s parents/guardian. SWD also forwards requests for scholarships by students to external agencies. A long list of available scholarships provided by foreign universities can be found at the International Programmes and Collaboration Division webpage. 

BITSAA SCHOLARSHIPS

Besides contributing to MCN funds, the BITSAA provide undergraduate scholarships of their own. BITSAA-IRU Partial Travel Grant supports the travel expenses of students participating in academic events of international repute. Students can obtain 40% (up to INR 25,000) off on the travel expenses of the trip. BITSAA also provides scholarships for projects undertaken by students at BITS Pilani. In the past, they have supported the development of various technical teams, including AcYut, a team working on humanoid robotics. The information listed here is subject to change. For more information visit the SWD and BITSAA websites.