I’m gonna tell you what I know about VIT personally and have gathered about Manipal from my friends
Placements
CS placements are great for both. Other branches have taken a hit all over India this year. A lot of the same companies visit both campuses. If everything fails, you will in all probability walk away with a job in IT,
Classroom Size
Class strength is around 60 in both. Some labs like Workshop and Engineering Graphics may have combined classes. Exams in VIT are easy but getting a 9 pointer requires quite a fair amount of focused effort. [ Input from Saumye Srivastava]
Flexibility in Courses:
VIT lets you choose your own classes, teachers and timing. You can choose to study whatever you want, provided you satisfy the basic requirements in order to obtain a degree. This effectively means that you will see new faces in every period and spend more time amongst your circle of friends and lesser time as a “batch” . On the flipside, if you are really extroverted, then this will be a blessing in disguise!
Cost:
VIT is cheaper than Manipal by a long shot.
Student Life:
Way better in Manipal. There are fewer restrictions imposed and a much larger variety of entertainment options and restaurants. The campus itself is more picturesque. However. VIT’s location is better if you love travelling since Ooty, Pondicherry, Kodaikanal, Tirupati etc are pretty nearby. Of course, Manipal’s major locational advantage is its proximity to Goa, Gokarna and the Agumbe rainforest!
Holidays:
Compared to VIT , semester breaks are much longer in Manipal. The tradeoff is that they have working Saturdays. In VIT, saturdays are working only for undeclared holidays.
Xenophobia:
If you don’t know the language, then you get a feeling of alienation when you step out of the campus in VIT. It is much less so in Manipal.
Academics:
There are some very good people in almost every branch in VIT. You have to understand that there is a difference between the knowledge a teacher has and his ability to impart it. So never rule out anyone solely on the basis of his/her lectures. If you take initiative and actively seek them out, then you will do very well for yourself. This is of course, assuming that you want to pursue higher studies. I got an opportunity here to work on an Electric Vehicle project, which is only available in about 3 other universities in India .
If these are your only options, I feel you cannot go wrong with either. But the grass will always be greener on the other side. I always cribbed about all the parties my friend got to attend in Manipal and she always cribbed about her profs. In the end, she bagged one of the biggest ongoing projects in the campus and I always looked forward to partying back home . Both colleges are similar in the sense that they have enormous student populations and is a motherlode for networking.