If you are a general category student, you will need an AIR of around 1000 in order to get admission in B.Arch at NIT Calicut. This means you will need to have a rank of around 300 in JEE Mains Paper 2. 

Here is the cutoff for B.Arch at NIT Calicut in recent years. 

My sister appeared for JEE Mains paper-2 in 2013 and scored 228, his rank was somewhat around 5000. She got NIT-B in the 3rd round of counseling itself.

This course gives you the freedom like no other engineering courses. There are many students from different parts of the world, living away from their families for the very first time, feeling lost and scared. But they end up forming a family amongst them. 

NIT has numerous clubs where you can pursue a hobby. You can even start a club of your own. If that becomes a bigger commitment, you can also take part in organizing cultural and tech fests. Even if you don’t want to do anything, you can sit and relax. 

Whatever you do, the people you meet in NIT are very cooperative and friendly. As far as studies are concerned, you might not remember what your teachers have taught you, but you would definitely remember whatever you have learned from your friends and batchmates.

The course demands you to be hardworking. This department here is well known for their unity amongst themselves. As it is a national college, the course is well-organized.

My friend did his B. Arch from BIT Mesra, so I can give you a brief idea about the course.

Architecture depends on your vision, on your projection, and how you see the world. Therefore, college views could differ. Architecture is not like maths which would be the same throughout the world, it is designing and depends on how you can plan your thoughts.

Some of the striking features of BIT-Mesra (Architecture) are as follows.

• BIT-Mesra has a state-of-art course structure. This may not sound important but most of the top universities look at the course structure for Masters.
• BIT-Mesra has great faculty. Most of them get an offer from the most prestigious colleges around the world.
• B.I.T. gives a strong software and structural base to students. They are successful in making you think economically too, very important in a country like India.
• There is a good balance between contemporary architecture and traditional architecture.
• Alumni Network: The Alumni network at BIT-Mesra is strong as well as global. In college, electives like Architectural Journalism, Photography, Conservation, and Urban Planning are good to have and though, they are only a few among so many, it gives you an idea of different fields you can aim for from B.Arch.
• Placements or Job-Scenarios: On-campus training and placements isn't a very happening scene in BIT-M, though there are amazing placement stats among other departments. But things are different for architecture and they have an effective system builtin in the course structure including internships in the final semester. This also happened because students generally have internships finalized (through personal emails) much before the Career Fair starts. 
• Co-curricular: Being a nationally recognized school, great co-curricular activities are happening in the college regularly. These co-curricular lead to the personal growth of an individual and architecture comes out as the winner in many activities and competitions. Great workshops are organized throughout the year at the institute.

Going by the above factors, it is safe to say that BIT Mesra is a good option for pursuing a degree in Architecture.

NIT Calicut is among the country’s best NITs. It is an institute of national importance. The placements are definitely good at NIT Calicut. 

Placement highlights of the year 2020 for NIT Calicut. 

• The highest CTC offered was INR 8 LPA
• The average CTC offered was INR 7 LPA.
• The minimum CTC offered was INR 6 LPA.

NIT Calicut is among the very few NITs that offer programs in Architecture and will not disappoint you. 

From the half-century of its existence, the newfound department of Architecture had produced 800 graduates in Architecture and 300 postgraduates in Town Planning.

NASA (National Association of Students of Architecture) was founded by the undergrad students collectively. The association is non-political and non-profitable. The department has a dynamic student’s body. Even its Alumni are spread across the world and the senior-junior relationship is wonderful.

Teaching:

• The professors are experienced, but they have a small ounce of work experience. So, their teaching lacks the upgraded trends and technologies that are being used in the present day. Even the syllabus is outdated.
• Most of the professors are not very student-friendly. It is better to maintain professionalism.
• Initially, the students find the college burdensome, but with time it is manageable. Most classes are held regularly.

Placement:

• There is hardly any placement assistance in this department. Students have to arrange the job/ internship for themselves. 
• Construction companies that visit the campus are not interested in recruiting architecture students. 
• Hardly 4-5 students get selected in MN Dastur. Although if a student has maintained a decent portfolio, they can get a job at lower packages.

IIEST Shibpur is one of the best colleges in eastern India in terms of infrastructure, campus, cultural fests (REBECA), and accommodation. The architecture department is the most active. Five years of architecture are packed with learning and growing.

When it comes to comparison between BIT Mesra and NIT Trichy, the latter is way better than the former. Therefore, it is evident that the placement at NIT Trichy is also better than BIT Mesra.

A few points to note:

• NIT Trichy is the best NIT in India for 25 years. It is considered among the top 10 engineering colleges of the nation, right after the top 5 old IITs and BITS Pilani. 
• According to NIRF India rankings 2020 for architecture, NIT Trichy is ranked at 8th position. For engineering, it holds the 12th rank.
• BIT Mesra is ranked at 13th position by the NIRF India rankings 2020 for architecture. For engineering, it holds the 26th rank.

NIT Trichy would be a better choice upon BIT Mesra when it comes to architecture. But, the choice is yours.

All three colleges fall on the list of top Architecture institutes in India. NIT Calicut and NIT Trichy are known for Architecture as their best programs. Having to know some people studying in these institutes, I can say that though NITs are the best for architecture, Jamia is also at par with them.

• It is obvious that NIT is a much more popular brand than Jamia. But it is still really good when it comes to architecture.
• Jamia has the locational advantage of being situated in the capital city.
• Jamia has better industrial exposure compared to NIT Trichy or Calicut.
• The course curriculum of NITs is more inclined towards the technical side, which is an upside.
• Placements at NITs are definitely better, but Jamia is also not lagging behind.
• The infrastructure is better in the NITs than Jamia, be it labs, seminar halls, library, etc.
• The fees at NITs are a bit higher than Jamia.
• Though students will get better opportunities after graduating from NIT Trichy or Calicut.

Therefore, it is suggested that you opt for NIT Trichy or Calicut for pursuing architecture. If not then you can go for Jamia instead, as it is also a good college.