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If you're looking at nursing colleges in coastal Karnataka and the name Manipal makes your budget wince, Udupi Dhanvantari College of Nursing (UDCN) is the name that comes up next. Established in 2004, this private institution offers a straightforward proposition: disciplined, clinically-focused nursing education at a fraction of the cost of its famous neighbor. Affiliated with Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), it's a no-frills, functional choice for students who prioritize hands-on hospital training over campus glamour. The college leverages its location near Udupi's major hospitals to provide solid practical exposure, though you won't find sprawling lawns or a buzzing social calendar here. It's a place where you learn the job, get your registration, and start working—and for many students, that's exactly the point.
The academic focus here is narrow and deep. UDCN sticks to core nursing programs, with the B.Sc Nursing and the 3-year GNM diploma being the main draws. The curriculum follows the RGUHS calendar, which means you're in sync with hundreds of other nursing colleges across the state. That's not a bad thing—it's a standardized, recognized pathway.
What defines the academic experience is the clinical training model. The college doesn't have its own large teaching hospital. Instead, it operates through MoUs with local healthcare providers. Students rotate through Hitech Medicare Hospital, the Udupi District Government Hospital, and A.V. Baliga Memorial Hospital for psychiatric training. This setup means you're getting real-world exposure in functional, often busy, community hospitals. It's less about observing in a pristine, corporate hospital wing and more about doing. The faculty-to-student ratio is decent, around 10:1 for the B.Sc program according to Careers360 data, which allows for more direct supervision during practical sessions.
Let's be clear: nursing placements don't work like engineering campus drives. There's no "average package" announcement with fanfare. Recruitment is a continuous process tied to clinical competency and hospital needs. The college reports an 85-90% placement rate, a figure echoed in student reviews on platforms like Shiksha. That seems plausible for a field with consistent demand.
Starting salaries for staff nurses in the region typically fall between ₹2.5 and ₹4.5 lakhs per annum. It's a modest start, but nursing is a career defined by stability and incremental growth, especially with experience and potential overseas opportunities. Top recruiters are the major hospital chains in the region: Manipal Hospitals (including KMC Udupi), Apollo, Fortis, and local players like Adarsha Hospital. The college also notes that alumni with a couple of years of experience often find pathways to the Middle East through healthcare agencies. The mandatory 6-month internship in the final year is your best shot at converting a clinical posting into a job offer.
The fee structure is a classic two-tier system based on the quota you secure. If you get in through the Karnataka government quota via KCET counseling, it's remarkably affordable—between ₹40,000 and ₹60,000 per year for tuition. The management quota is a different story, ranging from ₹1.25 lakh to ₹1.8 lakh annually.
You need to budget for hostel and mess separately, which adds another ₹50,000 to ₹70,000 per year. All in, the total 4-year cost for a B.Sc Nursing student can range from about ₹4.5 lakhs on the very low end (government quota, shared hostel) to around ₹8 lakhs for management quota students. That's a significant spread, but even the higher end is substantially lower than the fees at deemed universities. The college's official website, http://www.udupidhanvantaricollege.com/, should be checked for the most current fee notifications, but detailed scholarship information isn't prominently featured.
For B.Sc Nursing, the primary gateway is the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET). NEET is not currently mandatory for nursing admissions in Karnataka, though some use it as a supplementary merit measure. For GNM, admission is typically based on 10+2 marks.
The KCET cutoffs give you a sense of the competition. For the 2025 admission cycle (Round 3), the General Merit cutoff hovered around rank 93,437. Category-based cutoffs were lower, around 80,355 for 2A and 1,28,892 for SC/ST candidates. These aren't fiercely competitive ranks compared to engineering or medicine, but they indicate a steady demand. Selection happens through the centralized counseling conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) for government quota seats. Management and NRI quota seats are handled directly by the college.
The campus size is a point of conflicting data—some sources say 5 acres, others 15. The reality on the ground is that it's a compact, functional space. The three-story hostel can house about 250 students with separate wings. Reviews describe it as "homely" but with the strict rules common to nursing hostels: curfews and high attendance requirements are the norm.
Infrastructure is adequate for the course work. There are dedicated nursing labs for foundation skills, nutrition, community health, and maternal care. The library holds over 4,000 professional books and journals. A practical plus is the college's own transport fleet—buses that ferry students to their various clinical postings across Udupi district. Don't expect a vibrant campus life with major fests or extensive sports facilities. The location in Santhekatte is peaceful and study-conducive, about 5 km from Udupi town and its famous Krishna Temple, but it's not a bustling student town.
Synthesizing feedback from Shiksha, Google Reviews, and local forums paints a consistent picture. This isn't a college students rave about, but one they generally respect for doing its core job well.
The positives are practical. Students consistently highlight the clinical exposure, especially the rotations at the Udupi District Hospital, as the college's strongest asset. They find the faculty accessible and helpful when it comes to preparing for practical exams and securing internal marks. The location is seen as a plus for those who want to avoid city distractions.
The negatives are about lifestyle and limitations. The strict discipline—tight hostel rules and mandatory attendance—is a frequent mention, though that's somewhat endemic to nursing education. Some wish for better sports facilities and a more active campus social scene. Complaints about mess food are, unsurprisingly, universal, as they are in most hostels across India. The gap between the quiet campus life here and the integrated university experience at a place like MAHE is significant and noted by students.
UDCN is a specific solution for a specific type of student. It's worth serious consideration if you are a Karnataka resident who secures a government quota seat through KCET—the value for money at that fee level is excellent. It's also a viable, more affordable alternative for students who want clinical training in the Udupi/Mangalore region but can't afford Manipal's premiums.
You should look elsewhere if you prioritize a vibrant, holistic campus life with clubs, fests, and sprawling infrastructure. This is a professional training institute, not a liberal arts university. The academic model relies on external hospital partnerships, so if having a single, massive attached teaching hospital is non-negotiable for you, that's a limitation here.
In short, Udupi Dhanvantari College of Nursing delivers a competent, disciplined, and clinically-focused nursing education at a reasonable cost. It prepares you to pass your RGUHS exams, get your KNC registration, and start work. For a student focused squarely on that career pathway without unnecessary extras, it gets the job done.
Find a program, read its fee details and explore the admission requirements.
Summary of the programs shown below. Fee periods can differ by program. Check the note beside each amount before comparing costs.
| Course | Stream | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| General Nursing and Midwifery [GNM] | Paramedical | 25000 |
| Bachelor of Science [B.Sc] (Nursing) | Paramedical | 50000 |
Specializations
Eligibility: 10+2
1 exam with cutoff data available
No, Udupi Dhanvantari College of Nursing is not affiliated with Manipal University. The college is officially affiliated with the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) in Bangalore, which governs its nursing programs and curriculum.
No, the college does not have its own hospital. Instead, it provides clinical training to its students through a network of affiliated hospitals, which include facilities like Hitech Medicare and the Udupi District Hospital.
For the B.Sc Nursing program under the Management Quota, the total fee package for the entire 4-year course typically ranges between ₹6.5 Lakhs and ₹8 Lakhs. This total cost generally includes hostel accommodation.
Yes, Udupi Dhanvantari College of Nursing is a co-educational college. It admits both male and female students into its key programs, including the B.Sc Nursing and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) courses.
The college is located approximately 5 to 6 kilometers from the Udupi Krishna Temple. It is situated in the Santhekatte or Kallianpur area of Udupi.
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