You cracked BITSAT. Now let’s get you to Hyderabad.

Documents, fee payment, anti-ragging affidavit, and hostel allotment process are the same across all three campuses. Carry originals and two coloured photocopies of:

Keep originals in hand baggage. Scan and save digital copies on Google Drive.

Medical Fitness Certificate

This is not a generic doctor’s note. Download the specific format that you got from BITS admissions portal, get it signed by a registered MBBS doctor and carry it on joining day. If you’re on any regular medication, get a separate prescription/doctor’s note as well – you’ll need it when registering with the campus medical centre.

Fee payment

Fee payment is done through the BITS admissions portal before your joining date. Keep the transaction ID and payment receipt saved on your phone. Fees are paid semester-wise and the tuition for AY 2026-27 is approximately ₹2 lakh 91 thousand per semester – with an additional hostel and mess advance on top of that.

Anti-ragging affidavit

You and your parent or guardian both need to fill this out on the AICTE anti-ragging portal before joining. This is mandatory. Do it at least a week before your joining date so there’s no last-minute scramble.

Hostel allotment

First-year allotment is done by the institute through a chit-system or a computerised system. You cannot choose your hostel, block, or roommate. You’ll be informed of your allotment either on the portal or on the day of joining through the chit system.

Bank: There is an SBI branch and two ATMs (SBI and ICICI) on campus. Opening an account there is common but not mandatory. UPI is essential – set it up before you arrive.

SIM card: Jio and Airtel work well at the Hyderabad campus. There is a Wifi network by BITS across hostels, mess, library and academic block areas.

### SECTION 2: TRAVELLING TO HYDERABAD CAMPUS

The campus is in Jawahar Nagar, Shameerpet Mandal, about 35 km north of central Hyderabad on the Rajiv Rahadari (Karimnagar Highway). The landmark to know: turn at Dongala Mysamma Junction and the campus gate is 1.5 km ahead.

By air

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA, Shamshabad) is about 70-75 km from campus via the Nehru Outer Ring Road (ORR). Travel time is 1 to 1.5 hours. Take Uber/Rapido/Ola from the airport. Expect ₹1,800-2,500 including tolls. Book an SUV if you have large luggage.

Route: From RGIA, take the ORR towards Gachibowli/Patancheru → continue to Exit 7 (Shamirpet) → head on the Rajiv Rahadari → right turn at Dongala Mysamma Junction.

By train

Secunderabad Junction is the recommended arrival station – 25 km from campus, about 45-60 minutes by cab (₹800-1,000 via Uber/Rapido/Ola).

From Secunderabad, Bus Route 212 runs directly to the BITS main gate. Fare is ₹40-50, but the bus runs only 5 times a day (8 AM, 9 AM, 12:30 PM, 4 PM, 5 PM) and is occasionally cancelled or delayed. If you have luggage, take a cab.

Other stations: Kacheguda and Hyderabad Deccan (Nampally) are 30-33 km away

By bus

Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) is about 22 km from campus; MGBS is about 38 km. From either, take an Uber/Ola cab to campus.

If you’re from Hyderabad

Navigate via the Rajiv Rahadari (Karimnagar Highway) past Alwal, CRPF Gate, and Thumkunta. Right at Dongala Mysamma Junction, 1.5 km to campus. Autos run between Thumkunta and campus if needed (₹20-25 shared, ₹80-100 private).

If you arrive late at night

If your train reaches Secunderabad after 8 PM, do not travel to Shameerpet alone at night. Book a hotel near Secunderabad and travel in the morning when cabs, bus services, and campus offices are all operational.

Lodges/Guest Houses near BITS Hyd :

Luggage

Same principle as other campuses – bring your essentials only. Do not bring a mattress, pillow, or bucket from home; these can be purchased from vendors who come to campus during registration week.

What to courier instead: winter clothes, extra shoes, heavy reference books. Use Delhivery or BlueDart.

Courier address: [Your Name], Room No, Hostel Name, BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus, Jawahar Nagar, Shameerpet Mandal, Hyderabad, Telangana – 500078.

Parents staying

Aalankrita Resorts (very close to campus) is the most commonly recommended option for parents. Budget hotels are also available in Thumkunta, Alwal and Tirumalagiri, 20-30 minutes away. Same-day return is easy for parents living within Hyderabad.

### SECTION 3: CLIMATE AND WHAT TO PACK

BITS Hyderabad has the most moderate climate of the three campuses. Temperatures stay broadly reasonable throughout the year.

The monsoon at Hyderabad is notably longer and more spread out than Goa – rains can come anytime from July through November. It’s not the intense daily downpour of Goa, but it’s unpredictable.

What to pack

You join in August – this is the monsoon season. Bring light clothes, a compact umbrella (keep it in your bag every day) and some cold medicine for the monsoon chill. Shorts are not the best idea in Sem 1 given the weather; full trousers or tracks are more practical.

Bring one set of traditional/ethnic wear for fests and cultural events before Diwali.

After Diwali (when most students go home), bring back warmer clothes – a jacket, some woollens, warm socks. Winter mornings in Hyderabad can be cold enough to need them.

Room essentials (mattress, bucket, bedsheets, curtains) – same as other campuses, buy locally during joining week. Vendors come to campus and the shops in CP (Connaught Place, the on-campus market) have everything you need.

Coolers

Coolers are permitted in hostels here but only from Sem 2 (not Sem 1). Maximum 300W. There is an additional electricity deduction of approximately ₹1,600 for cooler usage. Best to buy on Amazon or buy second-hand from a senior at the end of their semester.

### SECTION 4: HOSTEL ROOM ESSENTIALS

Your room comes with a bed, study table, chair, cupboard, and 2 electrical sockets near the desk plus one common socket near the door. Every student also gets a personal whiteboard above the desk.

4a. Bedding and Room Comfort

Bring 2-3 sets of cotton bedsheets from home. A blanket is a must – it gets cold enough to need one from Sem 1 itself, especially in the monsoon months. A quilt can be brought after Diwali if needed. Mattress: buy from vendors on campus during joining week. Pillows: same, or order online. A mattress cover for hygiene is worth having.

Extension cord (multi-plug with surge protection): non-negotiable. 2 sockets fill up instantly. Get a decent quality one – CP (The campus shopping complex) has basic options if needed, but ordering a good one online beforehand is better.

For curtains: buy from Connaught Place (CP) on campus after you arrive. Measure first.

4b. Bathroom and Laundry

Buckets and mugs are not provided. Buy from CP. Sturdy rubber bathroom slippers, separate from your room footwear.

Laundry: Three options at the Hyderabad campus.

• Laundromat near the hostels (subscription-based, per-load pricing).
• Dhobi who visits the hostel weekly (per-piece pricing).
• Two shops in CP that handle laundry and dry cleaning.

Bring a laundry bag and small packet of detergent for the first few days while you figure out which service works for you.

4c. Kitchen and Food Items

Electric kettles and induction cooktops are not allowed in Hyderabad hostel rooms either. Don’t bring them.

Keep a large water bottle in your room. A steel plate and spoon. A thermos flask is especially useful in winter for keeping hot water.

Mini fridges are not available on campus.

4d. Electronics and Cables

A laptop is essential and required practically from day one. Windows is recommended for non-CS students due to software compatibility in labs and courses. If you’re in CS and planning heavy computing or ML work, spec accordingly. Battery life matters – you’ll carry the laptop all day.

Bring: earphones or headphones (noise-cancelling is genuinely useful in hostel study sessions), a power bank, USB-A to C and C to C cables, a fast-charging brick. An RJ45-to-USB adapter and an Ethernet cable if your laptop doesn’t have a LAN port – both available in CP otherwise.

Printing: CP has 2 printing shops. The library also has printing facilities. No need for a personal printer.

4e. Stationery and Academic Supplies

Most students use notebooks rather than tablets – personal choice, but the course load at BITS makes handwritten note-taking common. Basic stationery (pens, highlighters, notebooks, folder for handouts) is available in CP’s stationery shops on campus.

A lab coat with the BITS logo is mandatory for lab courses. Available in CP (₹300-400). Casio fx-991CW or fx-991ES Plus is the standard calculator for exams.

4f. Medicines and First Aid

The Medical Centre is available 24/7 with ambulance services and hospital tie-ups for emergencies. Your hostel warden has a first aid kit. Emergency numbers are shared during orientation and posted on notice boards.

Carry your own supply regardless: paracetamol, cold/cough medicine, antacid, Dettol, a muscle/cramp spray or cream. If you have a chronic health condition, carry a prescription note from your doctor and at least 2-3 months of medication.

###

### SECTION 5: CAMPUS LIFE ORIENTATION

The mess system

Two messes operate on campus. In the first month, allotment is random. After that, mess allotment happens monthly – you need to actively select your preferred mess during the allotment window (limited seats, but sufficient for everyone combined). No mess card – access is via fingerprint.

Timings:

• Breakfast: 7:30 – 9:30 AM
• Lunch: 12:00 – 2:00 PM
• Evening snacks: 4:30 – 6:00 PM
• Dinner: 7:30 – 9:30 PM

Mess costs approximately ₹5,000 per month (paid via semester fee advance and adjusted at end of semester).

All Night Canteen (ANC)

ANCs operate from 10:30 PM to 2:00 AM on mess premises. Orders are placed through the SWD App – credentials are provided after you report to campus. For the first month, ANCs may not be available immediately after joining. Most of your initial evening food needs will come from campus outlets.

Other food options

Campus has a canteen in the academic blocks (open through the day), one small multipurpose outlet in new academics, and 15+ food outlets covering sandwiches, tiffin, waffles, protein food, Maggi, parathas, juices, Amul and more.

It’s the highest variety of food items you will find on a college campus!

Thumkunta is the nearest town (a short auto ride), where you’ll find restaurants and additional shopping. Most non-campus food outings go here.

SWD App and payments

Most of your on-campus expenses go through the SWD App, linked to your BITS ID. The balance is settled when you pay your semester fees. UPI is essential for anything outside this system.

Wi-Fi

Daily Wi-Fi limit is 10 GB per day – enough for normal use but watch out during heavy downloads. LAN ports in rooms are available for direct connection.

Library

Timings: 9 AM to 10 PM on regular days, extended to 9 AM to 6 AM before and during exams. Books can be borrowed using your BITS ID.

Sports and gym

Gym is available during regular hours. Sports facilities: cricket, football, athletics, table tennis, volleyball, kho-kho, tennis, basketball, kabaddi, throwball, hockey, carrom, chess, skating. Courts for basketball, tennis, and football are right in front of the girls’ hostel (Malaviya Bhawan).

Clubs and societies

Clubs are categorised into academic/technical, cultural, and departmental. Inductions are posted on the BPHC Facebook Shoutbox (facebook.com/groups/bphcshoutbox) and on the batch WhatsApp group starting from the first month. All major clubs do a presentation to freshers – attend it.

Student portals

• LMS: Study material, lecture slides, assignments.
• ERP (erp.bits-pilani.ac.in): Course registration, grades, fees, announcements. Login credentials given during the first week along with your student email ID.

### SECTION 6: ACADEMIC PREPARATION

Course registration

2-3 days after arrival, course registration takes place. You’ll be divided into Group A or Group B – each group studies a different set of subjects in Sem 1, which swap in Sem 2. All first-year courses are compulsory.

During registration, you choose your professor and time slot from available options. A list circulated among seniors typically highlights preferred professors – ask your batch group or wing seniors for this. Seniors and ACC members are present in the computer lab during registration to help you.

You’re assigned a slot by luck (earlier slots give more choice). Make sure all fee dues are cleared before registration day – you cannot register with pending dues.

The CGPA system

Identical to Pilani and Goa- letter grades, relative grading, cumulative from semester one. A = 10, A- = 9, B = 8, B- = 7, C = 6, C- = 5, D = 4, E = 2. Because grading is relative, your marks against the batch determine your grade, not a fixed cutoff.

Attendance

No blanket institute-wide rule, but labs and tutorials are stricter than lectures. Missing lab sessions can block you from the lab comprehensive exam. Read every course handout – it specifies the rules for that course. Document absences for valid reasons through the medical centre or Associate Dean.

Resources

Seniors pass down Google Drive folders with branch-specific notes and past papers via batch WhatsApp. The library is your backup when digital resources fall short.

Seniors

Ask your seniors for timetable advice before registration. For anything related to academics, club choices, or hostel life – they’re your fastest and most current source. Most seniors respond well to a genuine, direct question.

### SECTION 7: MONEY AND DAILY EXPENSES

How payments work

Most on-campus expenses are routed through the SWD App (linked to your BITS ID and settled via semester fees). UPI is essential for everything else. The SBI branch on campus handles basic banking needs – there are also SBI and ICICI ATMs on campus.

Realistic monthly budget

Your first month will be higher due to one-time room setup purchases – mattress, bucket, curtains, stationery, etc. Budget separately for those.

Important: The SWD account has no hard spending limit, which can be dangerous if you’re not tracking. Everything you spend on campus gets settled when you pay your fees. Keep a rough tally so you’re not surprised by a large bill at semester end.

Track your spending in month one. It’s the only way to know what your actual pattern looks like and what adjustments to make.

### SECTION 8: FIRST WEEK SURVIVAL GUIDE

The first week at BITS Hyderabad is busy and can feel slightly disorienting. Here’s the right approach.

Practical priorities

Set up your room first. Get your BITS email and student ID sorted. Log into ERP and LMS. Visit the notice board in your hostel – it has warden contacts, emergency numbers, and hostel rules. Get UPI and the SWD App working. These are the logistics; knock them out in the first two days.

If you haven’t frozen your campus yet

If your campus allotment is still not final, don’t buy expensive or bulky room items yet. The bed is typically returnable if you don’t damage the cover. Other items like buckets can be given to a batchmate or sold easily. Wait until you’re certain before making big purchases.

Meet your seniors

Seniors usually organise informal meetups with freshers in the first week. Show up. The Hyderabad campus has a close-knit culture

Also, explore campus freely. Know where your academic blocks are, where the library is, where the gym is and how to get to Thumkunta. The campus will start feeling like home faster than you think.

The batch Facebook and WhatsApp groups

BPHC Shoutbox (Facebook: facebook.com/groups/bphcshoutbox) is the primary public channel for announcements, club inductions and campus updates. Join it and check it regularly. The batch WhatsApp groups are where most real-time information flows. Be in them.

Common fresher mistakes

Buying too much before arriving. Not attending the first few days of orientation because it seems boring. Ignoring course handouts until exam season. Not building relationships with wing-mates early because you’re shy or glued to your phone. All fixable – but better to avoid from the start.

Ragging

BITS Hyderabad has a strict anti-ragging policy. Senior interactions in the first week are generally friendly and welcoming – the campus culture is not ragging-oriented. If anything crosses a line, report it to your hostel warden or SWD immediately.

Who to contact for what

• Academic issues: Academic section / ERP portal
• Room or hostel issues: Hostel warden
• Health: Campus Medical Centre (24/7)
• Student welfare and general support: SWD office
• Club and activity info: BPHC Shoutbox + batch WhatsApp

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### SECTION 9: GIRLS FAQ – BITS HYDERABAD