Personally I feel SOA, being a young deemed varsity has a long way to go before it reaches the level of BITS Pilani and other institutions like that, but it is one of the best Universities to study an undergraduate degree in Engineering and inculcate the discipline of academic research. Lot of great academician to guide the students. A strong alumni network. You can find some of the best talents of the state sitting with you in the same class.
After recently being awarded the No.1 rank among universities in Odisha and 26th in all of India by the HRD Ministry, it seems they are on the right track to becoming one of the best institutions in India. Considering the number of professional courses they offer which includes MBBS, Dental, Law, Hotel Management, Pharmacy, Nursing, Agriculture, Business Management etc. it might take them some time to reach the top compared to others offering fewer. However, it is good to see such great things happening at the place which gave me some of the best friends and memories in life.