Cochin University of Science and Technology i.e., CUSAT is a government-owned autonomous science and technology university situated in Kochi, Kerala, India. It has two campuses. One in Kochi and the other branch in Kuttanad, Alappuzha inland.

Let’s take a look at the latest assessment and accreditation of CUSAT by NAAC in September 2016. This should clear the institutional status. 

The abstract from CUSAT AQAR (Annual Quality Assurance Report, page 61) says, “Being a state-funded University we have got used to receiving the full financial support from the State Government for salary and both the State and Central Government for infrastructural creation under the plan.”

So yes, Cochin University of Science and Technology is not a Central University but a Public university.

CUSAT is formed and controlled by the state itself. It does get many central funds for the development of infrastructure and some programs. But, basically, CUSAT is Kerala State funded.

CUSAT offers a four year B.Tech program in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding. My brother pursued this degree from CUSAT a few years back.

Naval Architecture deals with vessels, moving or stationary, that serve in a marine atmosphere. The vessels include ships plying in ocean or coastal areas, offshore rigs, underwater vehicles, submarines etc. Naval Architects perform mathematical calculations to ensure the sea worthiness of these vessels. For this purpose, softwares and programs are created and fed as algorithms to a machine. Most universities offer a secondary specialization alongside Naval Architecture. If you pursue your B.Tech in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding, other than N.A. calculations, you will also work on shipbuilding techniques and practices. My brother also worked on a project on the preliminary design of a ship plying in a specific route required to carry cargo(s) at its maximum capacity(meeting the owner’s requirements).

As far as job prospects are concerned, as a Naval Architect, you can be employed by shipping companies, classification societies, consultancies, or research institutes. You can also work at shipyards or at offshore companies that manufacture maritime equipment like life-saving appliances or ship engines.

Indian organizations offer a limited salary in this field, usually ranging from 25,000 - 50,000 INR per month. Abroad, the salary usually ranges from 12 - 40 LPA. Your salary will depend upon your location and job profile. Offshore offers good packages which are way higher than shipbuilding. But because of changes in oil prices at present, only a few offshore companies hire freshers.  Depending on your job type and designation, you will get to travel sometimes/frequently for business, projects or some technical testing work.

You can go for this course at CUSAT. However, I would recommend you to first prioritize the top Indian and Foreign institutions offering this program and to keep CUSAT as a secondary choice.

The worth of a college does not depend on which state you belong to. It's up to you to make your time at the college worthwhile. 

No matter which college or university you are in, they all have almost the same structure of syllabus and you have to study by yourself. If you do not have many options for college, you can choose an institute with a decent rank and low course fee. 

Let’s take a look at some of the parameters to study in CUSAT.

Pros:

• CUSAT is not that costly if compared to other colleges. 
• Since the institute is in Cochin, you can learn a different language. 
• CUSAT offers several other departments like Foreign Language, Hindi, Economics, Legal Studies, social science, and Management. These departments offer short courses. If you want you can learn new skills from such courses and participate in departmental events. 
• The living cost in Kerala is lower than in many states of India. There is also less distraction as compared to cities like Delhi and Bangalore.
• There is an Incubation center that promotes Entrepreneurs.
• You can earn while studying. There are many start-ups, also you can give tuitions. You won’t have to ask for money from your parents. Many of my friends did the same. 
• You can go on trips and participate in games in your spare time. 

Cons:

• Because of the different culture and language, sometimes you may feel alienated from others. 
• According to student reviews, sometimes the professors can be biased. 
• The placement of the college is average.
• If you neglect studies, you have to go through rough times dealing with arrears and drops.
• You won’t be able to go home easily on vacations as it is too expensive.
• It is not a student-friendly college. 

So ultimately, it all rolls down to how you use the opportunity. No matter which college you go in, if you want to learn new things and stay proactive, you can surely make the best of your days at the college. So, work hard and try to score well.

As far as MBA at CUSAT is concerned, you will have to score at least 50% aggregate marks in any subject in your undergraduate or bachelor’s degree.

• When it comes to admission, the rank list is made on a combined basis of your scores in C-MAT (AICTE), or MAT score (AIMA), or CAT (IIM).
• Your performance in the group discussion, as well as the interview, is also taken into consideration.
• Lastly, which test matters the most, i.e. CMAT, MAT, or CAT (IIM) will completely depend on the university.

In my opinion, ace your interview and group discussion and score decently on the test and you will be good to go.

CUSAT is an autonomous government university. 

For home state students, the tuition fee is around 25-26k per semester, and for students from other states, it is around 45k per semester. This is the fee structure for B.Tech, for general and OBC category students. 

The fee structure may vary from one branch to another.

CUSAT has a good reputation not just in Kerala, but in other parts of India as well. The graduates of our university are treated with respect by recruiters, who know the high academic standards of CUSAT.

My brother went for an off campus interview at a Mumbai based company. The interviewer asked him about his academic achievements, and he replied that he was just an average student. The interviewer smiled and said that to score 65 percentile in CUSAT is a good thing, and that my brother was better off than the graduates of many other universities. 

This proves that CUSAT and its students are viewed in a positive light by industry experts.