United University, Prayagraj – Campus Experience for BCA in specialization with IBM

Hello Everyone! I’m currently pursuing my Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) with a specialisation in AI/ML in collaboration with IBM from United University, Prayagraj. As I step into my final year, I would love to share my journey, learning experiences, environment, fests, and much more to give aspiring students a better picture of the college and the course.

About My College

United University is a private university located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The campus is fairly new but decently maintained, with all the basic amenities, including labs, a library, and Wi-Fi facilities. While it may not be in the tier-1 category, it’s definitely above average in terms of academics, industry exposure, and student engagement. The university offers various professional courses and is particularly focused on creating industry-aligned curricula, one such being the BCA with AI/ML specialisation under IBM collaboration, which is the program I’m enrolled in.

First Year

The first year was all about getting comfortable with programming and exploring the basics of AI/ML. We started with Python, sharpening our hands on core programming, logic-building, and small projects. There was also a light intro to Data Science and Machine Learning to help us understand what the specialization had in store. We also covered R programming and DSA in Python, which helped build a strong foundation.

Second Year

The second year was where the real fun began. We dived deep into Java, including UI building with JavaFX and Swing, and JDBC for backend connectivity. Our course gradually shifted towards full-stack development, starting from basic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to more advanced frameworks. Simultaneously, intermediate ML topics were introduced, covering supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning along with real-world project implementations. We also did modules on Data Science, analytics, and real-time dashboards. Learning was reinforced with regular lab sessions and projects.

Now in 3rd/Final Year

Currently in the early stages of my final year, we are expected to take our understanding further through capstone projects, internship experiences, and advanced AI topics. The university provides a 2-month summer internship after every academic year, which gives a great opportunity to apply what we learn and build our resume.

Environment

The environment at United University is friendly and academically inclined. Most faculty members are supportive and are always ready to guide students, especially when it comes to project-based learning or preparing for hackathons. The student crowd is quite diverse, and there’s a balance of academics and extracurriculars. The campus isn’t huge, but it’s well-organized and peaceful — good enough to focus and grow.

College Fests and Hackathons

The university regularly organizes tech fests, seminars, and hackathons, which I personally found very helpful. These events aren’t just limited to internal students — we often get to interact with students from other colleges, which boosts competition and learning. Hackathons usually focus on problem-solving using AI/ML, Web Development, or Java, and have helped me stay in touch with current trends and sharpen my coding skills.

Placements

Placements at United University are moderately good. While you may not find big tech giants on campus, companies from mid-level product-based and service-based sectors do come for hiring. The package range is average, mostly between 2.5 – 5 LPA, depending on your skills, projects, and communication. IBM also supports the program with certification, project evaluations, and skill-building that could help in off-campus placements as well.