Which would be better – UPES in Dehradun or Manipal University?

Depends on which branch you are interested in, branches like fire and safety, petroleun, cs(there are 12+ specialised branches of cse in upes) have best placements in upes however i would not recommend for core branches like mech civil etc. Overall college life is good in upes. Ddn is a lovely city, at last choice is yours