How did IIIT Lucknow get better placement than IIIT Gwalior (since it has better alumni and brand name)?

There is no doubt that you will receive better placement opportunities in IIIT Gwalior than in IIIT Lucknow. The main reason behind this is that irrespective of the count of students in the IIIT Lucknow, around 40 students from 2020 batch got placed with an average of 18 Lacs per annum package. At IIIT Gwalior, the average salary recorded for 2020 batch was 14.5 Lacs per annum.

The following table would give you a brief comparison of the two colleges:

The fundamental logic behind total strength in IIIT Gwalior 120 IPG students + 30–40 Mtech (2 yr) students + around 30–40 MBA (2 yr) students. If you would estimate the average of top performers of IPG students of IIIT Gwalior for just say top 40 students then it would be 20 LPA You will find the average package for only 120 IPG students was 16–17 LPA.