BPHC Freshers' Guide · 2025-26
BPHC Freshers' Guide
A beginner's guide to the beautifully chaotic, heart-warming madhouse that is BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus. Read closely, and you might just survive.
Made by Malhar
Chapter 01
Survival Guide
You'll experience true freedom for the first time in your miserable life (ahem ahem). No curfews inside campus, endless grounds to explore — but first, pack right. Most of this can be bought at CP when you arrive.
- 01
LAN cable
The Wi-Fi is more often than not horrible. LAN is always extremely fast.
- 02
Locks
Always lock your room — there is a risk of goblins.
- 03
Extension board
You’ll need it. Trust us.
- 04
Bucket & mug
The showers have no hot water. Winter will humble you.
- 05
Night lamp
Avoid 90% of arguments with your roommate with this simple trick.
- 06
Lab coat
Labs and workshops require coats.
- 07
Calculator
A few first-year (and future) courses require one.
- 08
Whiteboard markers
There are two whiteboards in your room. Use them, it’s fun.
- 09
Mattress & pillow
Available for purchase right next to your hostel.
- 10
Umbrella, curtains, dustbin
The unglamorous trio that saves your semester.
Digital survival kit
UPI
Almost every vendor on campus accepts it. The ATM only spits out 500s.
SWD App
Pay for All Night Canteen food, mess registration, gate passes.
Yes, really. Club inductions and fest announcements happen here.
Splitwise
Track who owes whom after outings. Super useful.
The campus is constantly evolving. Expect new food vendors, stores, and services to pop up throughout the year. Keep an eye on the Shoutbox and Free Expressions group for announcements.
Decode your ID: branch codes
Those two letters in your ID (like 2025A7PS9999H) are your branch. Here's every code on the Hyderabad campus.
B.E.
- A1Chemical
- A2Civil
- A3Electrical & Electronics
- A4Mechanical
- A5B. Pharma
- A7Computer Science
- A8Electronics & Instrumentation
- AAElectronics & Communication
- ADMathematics & Computing
- AJEnvironmental & Sustainability
M.Sc.
- B1Biological Sciences
- B2Chemistry
- B3Economics
- B4Mathematics
- B5Physics
- B7Semiconductors & Nanoscience
From the Handbook
Campus 101
The stuff the official Faculty Handbook tells you, minus the jargon. Two hundred acres of forest on the edge of Hyderabad, built in 2008 and never quite finished growing. Here are the numbers, the lifelines, and the everyday essentials worth knowing.
2008
Campus established
First batch graduated 2012
200
Acres of green
Jawahar Nagar, Shameerpet
3,200+
Students on campus
Fully residential
306
Faculty members
12 academic departments
~1,000
Admitted each year
Single BITS entrance exam
27 km
To Secunderabad station
70 km to RGIA airport
Save these numbers now
Campus emergency lines run 24×7. Put them in your phone before you need them.
- Security & SOS040 6630 3988
- Medical Centre90102 02850
- Ambulance96409 21921
- Fire84660 36288
- Electrical emergency99123 16753
- Snake catchers81068 60898
What's at CP
Connaught Place — the one-stop plaza that quietly runs your life.
- SBI branch + ATM
- Agarwal supermarket
- Medical shop
- Laundry (2 shops)
- Stationery & The Book Syndicate
- Bakery & restaurant
- Salon (men & women)
- DTDC courier
- Fruits & vegetables
The library, by the numbers
- 45,000 sq ft in Block G, fully air-conditioned
- 554+ seats beside the Lecture Theatre Complex
- 48,900+ books and 33 print magazines
- 14,860+ e-journals and 7,105+ e-books
- Scopus, MathSciNet, SciFinder & Grammarly — no login needed on campus
Chapter 02
The Academic Forest
You can't neglect academics, but don't be consumed by them either. It's a balance — which, like most things here, you figure out yourself. Take between 9 and 25 credits a semester. No exceptions.
The grading ladder
- A10
- A-9
- B8
- B-7
- C6
- C-5
- D4
- E2
SGPA = grade points ÷ credits for the sem. CGPA = the same, across all semesters. Most courses average out at a B−. An NC or RC means repeating or supplementing credits.
CDCs
Core Disciplinary Courses — mandatory, branch-specific, and non-negotiable. No valid grade, no graduation.
Disciplinary Electives
Explore your branch on your own terms. Minimum 4 (12 credits) to graduate; usually taken from 2-2 onwards.
Humanities Electives
The fun ones — literature, philosophy, cinema. Minimum 3 (8 credits). Watch the swap-period stampede.
Open Electives
Anything goes, if you meet prerequisites. Minimum 5 (15 credits). Great for stacking a minor.
Practice School
Two built-in internships. PS-I — a two-month summer stint after 2-2 (5 credits, no stipend). PS-II — a semester-long paid internship in your final year (20 credits). Stations are allotted by CGPA, preferences considered.
Financial aid
Merit Scholarship (automatic, CGPA-based — last year's 100% waiver cutoff sat near 9.8), Merit-Cum-Need (income-based, apply via SWD), the Student Aid Fund, and SBI education loans right on campus — up to 40L without collateral.
Summer term
A short term over the summer break to clear courses you couldn't fit into a regular semester. Since you're capped at 21 or 25 credits a sem (it depends on your individual course structure), a packed schedule can leave a few courses stranded.
Who takes it
Mostly people repeating courses, and dualites clearing courses like finance to stay on track for their degree.
Why not just repeat?
Repeating a course during normal college days is free — but credit limits and a hectic schedule push many to summer term instead.
The catch
You stay back over summer (often in 3rd year) and pay an extra fee to complete the courses.
Going global: the 2+2 dual degree
Enrolled in the 2+2 international program? You start at BITS and finish abroad, earning degrees from both. Partner universities and their CGPA cutoffs:
RMIT University
Australia
CGPA 4.5+
One online RMIT course per sem; an immersion trip after Year 1.
University at Buffalo
USA
CGPA 6.0+
A D grade in every subject; one online UB course each sem.
Iowa State University
USA
CGPA 5.75+
No dedicated ISU courses at BITS — you follow the standard curriculum.
CentraleSupélec
Paris, France
Partner track
One of the European pathways for the program.
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Troy, NY, USA
Partner track
A US pathway rounding out the collaboration list.
Most tracks require a mandatory summer term at BITS to meet credit requirements.
Dual degree allotment
2024 dataAfter first year, single-degree students can request an upgrade to a dual degree based on CGPA. 343 students were allotted in 2024 — here's where they landed and the probable lower cutoffs that year (indicative, they shift each year).
Probable lower CG cutoffs
- A7Computer Science8.11 – 8.13
- ADManufacturing7.97 – 8.03
- AAElectronics & Instr.7.60 – 7.62
- A3Electrical & Electronics7.11 – 7.19
- A8Electronics & Comm.6.89 – 6.95
- A4Mechanical5.50 – 6.05
Seats allotted per branch
- A78925.95%
- AA6318.37%
- A36117.78%
- A45616.33%
- A8319.04%
- AD257.29%
- A1133.79%
- A251.46%
A-series are the engineering dual branches (A7 Computer Science, AA Electronics & Instrumentation, A3 EEE, A4 Mechanical, A8 ECE, AD Manufacturing).
Chapter 03
Life Between the Trees
Nine boys' hostels, three girls' hostels, two messes locked in eternal rivalry, and enough food outlets to bankrupt your SWD account. Freshers, remember: Valmiki, Gautam, and Malviya are your bhavans.
“Soon, you'll have a favourite campus snack, a go-to crying spot, and friends that last a lifetime.”
Where BITSian bellies go
The king of chaos
Hotspot
A wide variety of everything. Long queues, worth it.
Oldest. Cheapest. Iconic.
Yummpy’s
Sandwiches, rice bowls, and the mysterious not-quite-biryani. Where broke students find happiness.
Tastes like home
Vijay Vahini
Actual rotis with curry and South Indian meals for homesick days.
Milkshake dreams
Thickshake Factory
Dangerously addictive during summers (or heartbreaks).
₹30 cone therapy
Amul
Ice creams and chocolates. Cures existential dread since forever.
10 PM – 2 AM
ANC
The All Night Canteen. Order on SWDPay. Money is spent like it’s free — until the deduction sheet arrives.
Sweat it out
- OFG — the giant field between the messes
- NFG + 400m athletics track
- Two floodlit basketball courts (the bleachers are a popular place to sit in the evenings)
- Volleyball, tennis, kabaddi, throwball & kho-kho courts
- 25m swimming pool
- Cricket ground with practice nets
- SAC: pool tables, squash, badminton, dance room, gym
The library
Two air-conditioned floors between G103 and G104 — reference sections, reading halls, solitary cubicles, bean bags, a fiction floor, and charging ports everywhere. Open 9 AM to 11 PM, later during exam season. A haven whether you're studying or just hiding.
And when the library closes? DC++ on the campus LAN awaits — terabytes of notes, lectures, past papers, movies, and games shared peer-to-peer with no data limit.
Chapter 04
Getting Around
We sit on the far outskirts of Hyderabad — far enough that the name of our college is excuse enough for a cabbie to cancel. Here's how to leave, and how to get back before the gate shuts.
Curfew & passes
Campus in-time
The gate closes at 10:30 PM. Miss it and you risk being blacklisted from going out for a week. Carry your physical ID card — it is scanned both while leaving and entering.
Day pass
Apply for a day pass a few minutes before you reach the gate. Quick and painless for same-day outings.
Outstation pass
Going away for more than a day? Apply well in advance — it needs your hostel warden’s approval. Keep the warden’s number handy in case they haven’t seen your application.
The late-night trap
The metro closes at 10:15 PM, and after 9 PM cab drivers start charging a fortune. Say your destination is “Shamirpet,” not “BITS Pilani” — or the ride gets cancelled.
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
₹1,600 – 1,800 by cab
BITS Taxi (+91 99490 11423) skips the Ola/Uber hassle. Split fares via the Travel@BPHC Facebook group or the Rideshare BPHC app (built by cruX).
Secunderabad Railway Station
₹~1,000 by taxi
City bus 212 connects the station directly to campus. Nampally is another option for certain trains.
Into the city
Usually a combination of auto, bus, and metro. RAF also runs an annual Wonderla trip (~₹1,400, or ₹1,800 with food). Use Splitwise to divide the fare.
Rickshaws
Line up in front of the gate. Fixed ₹100 to Thumkunta bus stop for up to 5 people; ₹20 per head beyond that. Carry cash — UPI is unreliable here.
Buses
Bus 212 is the one to know — the only bus to the campus gate, ₹45 to Parade Ground metro. Miss it? Catch 211S/A/C/D/E/J/K/T/U, 567, 568 or 569 from the Tandoor stop (every ~10 min).
Metro
From Parade Ground, three lines (red, blue, green) reach every corner of the city for ₹10 – 60. Book via Paytm QR at the counter. Most journeys are under 30 minutes.
The Madhouse
Clubs, fests, and 10 regional associations.
Cultural
- Comedy Club
- Music Club
- Cypher (Dance)
- Swaranjali (Classical)
- Crimson Curtain (Drama)
- Shades (Arts)
- Photog
- AMP (Music Production)
- Designers Anonymous
- VFx Club
- Fashion Club
- Gourmet (Culinary)
- Hindi Tarang
- ELAS
- SaFL (Languages)
- Movie Club
- Quiz Club
- Paradox (Magic)
- Verse-atility (Hip Hop)
- Debate Society
Technical
- cruX (Coding)
- SEDS — “Space or nothing”
- IEEE
- ACM
- Ad Astra (Astronomy)
- Aeolus (Drones)
- ARC (Robotics)
- Vanguard (Rovers)
- Apollyon (Drone Racing)
- Vidrohi Systems
- SAE (Automotive)
- BlockSoc
Business & Impact
- E Cell
- I Cell
- BHCG (Consulting)
- 180 Degrees Consulting
- Wall Street Club
- Traders@BPHC
- Management Society
- BITSMUN
- TEDx BITS Hyderabad
- Nirmaan (Social Outreach)
- NSS
- ENACTUS
- Law Society
The four seasons of BPHC
Sem 1
ATMOS
The techno-management fest
Sem 2
Pearl
The cultural fest
Sem 2
Arena
The sports fest
Sem 2
Ignite
Nirmaan’s three-day celebration
Behind the magic: departments like Controlz, Firewallz, DoPy, DoSM, LSD, DoPE, DoRA, DoVE, DoTA, AnD and DoSH run logistics, sponsorships, lights, artists, and aftermovies. Plus ten regional associations — from Brindavanam to Thaaraham Tamil Sangam — keeping home close.
You're in the Union now
As a BPHC student you're automatically a member of the Students' Union (SU) — rights, responsibilities, and a vote. It delegates power to the Students' Union Council (SUC): six elected executives — a President, a General Secretary, two Sports Secretaries, and two Cultural Secretaries — plus an elected Technical Secretary and a separate Students' Mess Council.
Your first taste of campus politics is a General Body Meeting (GBM)— at least two are held each semester to pass fest budgets and air grievances. Budget votes need a 10% quorum, so showing up matters (it's your money). Second-semester SUC elections bring soapboxes, manifestos, and cross-questioning before Compres.
Chapter 05
Speak BITSian
A field guide to the local dialect. Master these and you might pass for a second-yearite by October.
- ANC
- All Night Canteen. The staple diet of BITSians. Money is spent like it’s free until the deduction sheet drops.
- DiSCo
- The Disciplinary Committee. Not a dance floor. You do not want an invite.
- Rocks
- The huge rock formations that define our campus. Prime climbing spot for friends and couples alike.
- LL
- Lover’s Lane — ironically, completely isolated. Runs from the main gate to Vishwakarma.
- RNT
- Road Not Taken — SAC to New Acad Block. Ask a senior why it’s called that.
- Dulla
- A dual-degree soul, forever lamenting their CG and workload. Simultaneously admirable and annoying.
- Makeup
- A second chance at a missed evaluative. Papers are harder. Take it only for labs.
- Midsems / Compres
- Mid-semester and Comprehensive exams. The two great storms of every semester.
- CDC
- Core Disciplinary Course. Mandatory. Fail it and you’ll meet it again.
- CoStAA / CoSSAc / StuCCA
- The councils behind ATMOS, Arena, and Pearl. You’ll hear their weird noises often.
Campus Stereotypes 101
No matter where you're from, these are a universal experience.
The Overachiever
Learned Python in school, built a startup in first year, explains it like a TEDx speaker on Red Bull.
The Makeup Guy
Can’t study, won’t study — but delivers Oscar-level acting at MedC and somehow scores just enough.
The Library Camper
Has claimed a seat with ancestral rights. Would sleepwalk there at midnight.
The ANC Camper
Hates the mess. Passionately. Orders the same dish at ANC at 11:58 PM. Balance: -15k. Regrets: none.
The Academic Catfish
“Bro I haven’t studied at all.” Ends with a 9 CGPA. Do not fall for it.
The Jacked Jedi
Gym, boiled chicken, six egg whites a day. Will rope you into “just one leg day bro.”
Chapter 06
A Year on Campus
From orientation to Compres, here's how your first lap around the sun at BPHC unfolds.
Semester I
Freshman Orientation
Welcome to the woods.
Fresher’s Fair
Meet every club and assoc on campus.
Fervour Week
Clubs roll out the welcome mat.
Sanskriti
Regional associations celebrate Indian culture.
Midsems
The first storm.
Inter-BITS
Sporting showdown across the three BITS campuses.
ATMOS
The techno-management fest takes over.
Compres
The final boss of Sem 1.
Semester II
Verba Maximus
A literary mini-fest.
Midsems
Round two.
Arena
The sports fest.
Pearl
The cultural fest — the big one.
Ignite
Nirmaan’s celebration for underprivileged children.
Launchpad
Entrepreneurship & innovation mini-fest.
SUC Elections
Soapboxes, manifestos, campus politics.
Rixa
Inter-bhavan sports rivalry — around Jan 19 (date shifts each year).
Compres
And then, summer.
The Student Welfare Division
The SWD Portal
SWD is the nerve centre of campus life — it maintains your wallet, passes, documents, merch, scholarships and hostel wing allotment, all in one place. Log in with your college account at swd.bits-hyderabad.ac.in.
SWD Pay
The cashless wallet that runs day-to-day campus spending. Pay for merchandise and food across campus outlets straight from your student account — no cash, no cards.
QR Codes
Generate entry QR codes for proshows and other events during fests. They verify you as a BITSian, keeping the gates separate from outside-college visitors.
Deductions
A running, up-to-date log of every purchase and deduction from SWD — broken down by semester and month, with order trends so you can track exactly where your money went.
Funds & Goodies
Where official merchandise is released. Order merch, grab event tickets, and contribute to fundraisers, then track everything under My Orders.
Connect
A directory of student representatives and administration — SWD, Student Union Council, Mess Council, Placement Unit, committees and more, with direct contact details.
Where SWD Pay works
Use it to pay for food and merchandise at outlets across campus:
- ANC 1
- ANC 2
- Shawarma stall (Mess 2)
- Frankie stall (Mess 2)
- Sandwich stall (Mess 2)
- Juice shop (Mess 1)
- Juice shop (Mess 2)
Downloadable documents
Pull official documents and certificates on demand from the Documents section:
- Bonafide Certificate
- Vacation Letter
- Good Character Certificate
- Fee Estimate
Outpass — Day Pass vs Outstation
Both leave requests are managed online through SWD. The difference is who has to approve them and how long they last.
Day Pass
- No hostel warden approval needed.
- Valid until 10 PM only and active for the same day.
- For leaving campus temporarily within the city.
Outstation Pass
- Requires hostel warden approval.
- Requests are approved between 6:30 AM and 8:30 PM only.
- For travelling out of the city.
Wing Allotment
Wing allotment opens after your first year. This is when you finally get to choose — pick your friends as roommates and lock in rooms adjacent to each other, so your whole group ends up on the same wing. When the portal is between cycles it simply shows as closed.
MCN Scholarship
The Institute's Merit-cum-Need scholarship is applied for right here on the SWD portal. Applications are submitted online during a fixed window each year, after which you arrange the supporting income documents at the SWD office. Only applications submitted within the official period are accepted, so watch the deadlines.
One important warning
Account Settings shows every device and active session you're logged into. If you ever sign in on a friend's phone or any shared device, log out immediately. SWD Pay deducts real money from your account, and once money is deducted it is not refundable.
Chapter 07
The Toolkit
Half the class doesn't attend lectures — these links are how everyone survives anyway. Use your BITS email ID everywhere.
Impartus
Every lecture, recorded and uploaded within the hour. A lifesaver during midsems and compres.
LMS
Slides, tutorial sheets, mark lists, venue changes. The most important app on campus.
ERP Portal
Grade sheets, fee demands, and semester course registration.
SWD Portal
Mess registration, ANC orders, merch, gate & outstation passes.
Handouts For You
Course handouts to placement records — the community acads database.
ChronoFactorem
Mock timetable builder by cruX. Engineer the perfect schedule before the sem begins.
Digital Library
E-books, research publications, and previous years’ papers.
Acad Hub
Study resources for first-yearites — notes, slides, and papers. Sign in with your college email ID to access.
QuietSpace
Pick a day and hour to instantly find empty classrooms across campus. Perfect for a quiet place to study.
The campus runs on Facebook
We know. But make an account anyway — it's genuinely essential for survival here. These are the groups to join on day one.
BPHC Shoutbox
The main group. Inductions, competitions, and every official announcement.
BPHC Free Expressions
Real advice on academics, and where you influence SUC decisions.
Lost and Found BPHC
Big campus, dropped things. The good samaritans live here.
Humans of BPHC
Inspiring stories and portraits from across campus.
Buy & Sell BPHC
Buy, sell, and hunt the legendary psenti sales when seniors leave.
Travel@BPHC
Find people heading your way and split those taxi fares.
Out Of Context BPHC
The funniest jokes, memes, and conversations — no context given.
BITSians for Each Other
Past, present, and future BITSians helping you out any way they can.
Keep Close
Numbers That Matter
If you ever feel unsafe or uncomfortable, reach out to the Anti-Ragging Committee, the Internal Complaints Committee, or any senior you trust. MHSG and MPower are there for your mental health — you are never alone in these woods.
MedC Emergency
+91 90102 02850
Student Union President
Mahati VVS · +91 91007 92945
SU General Secretary
Sathwik Reddy · +91 91095 67789
Chief Warden
Prof. CP Kiran · Office: +91 40 6630 3629
BITS Taxi
+91 99490 11423
Anchor (Gender & Sexuality Cell)
anchoratbits@gmail.com