Top IITs in India — Rankings, Cutoffs & Programmes 2026

IIT System Overview

• 23 IITs in India; established under Institutes of Technology Act; autonomous, degree-granting institutes
• Entry through JEE Advanced; only JEE Main qualifiers can appear for JEE Advanced; ~1.5 lakh seats JEE Main, ~1.1 lakh JEE Adv
• IIT B.Tech fees: ₹2.25 lakh/year (standard); scholarships available for family income < ₹5 lakh

Top 5 IITs by NIRF Ranking

• IIT Madras: NIRF #1 for many consecutive years; strong research output; best in India
• IIT Bombay: NIRF #2; strong placements, finance + tech; best IIT for placement salary records
• IIT Delhi: NIRF #3; proximity to Delhi; strong in CS, Electrical; good industry connects
• IIT Kharagpur: oldest IIT (1951); largest campus; strong in Mechanical, Mining, Aerospace
• IIT Kanpur: known for research; strong in CS Theory, Physics; satellite mission contributions

New IITs

• IIT Hyderabad, IIT Jodhpur, IIT Patna, IIT Indore, IIT Tirupati, IIT Dharwad, IIT Bhilai: established 2008–2016
• Second-generation IITs (Hyderabad, Gandhinagar, Mandi, Ropar): developing strong identities
• All 23 IITs: same B.Tech degree value; older IITs have stronger alumni networks and brand

JEE Advanced Cutoffs (General, 2024 approx.)

• CS at IIT Bombay: rank ~50–80 (general); CS at IIT Delhi: ~100–200; CS at IIT Madras: ~200–400
• CS at IIT Kanpur/Kharagpur: rank 400–800; new IITs CS: rank 3,000–6,000
• Non-CS branches: Electrical, Mechanical more accessible; rank 1,000–10,000 depending on IIT and branch

Branch Selection Strategy

• CS commands highest salaries (average ₹30–40 LPA at top IITs); but other branches also offer good careers
• Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical: JEE students often underestimate; excellent career options exist
• Dual degree (B.Tech + M.Tech, 5 years): available at all IITs; good for research orientation

Placement Statistics

• IIT Bombay 2024: highest package ₹3.67 crore (Google, USA); average ~₹25 LPA
• IIT Madras 2024: highest ₹3.3 crore; average ₹22 LPA
• New IITs: average ₹10–15 LPA; growing year on year; core engineering companies value IIT brand

Fees and Scholarships

• General/OBC: ₹2.25 lakh/year; SC/ST: ₹1 lakh/year; BPL families: full scholarship
• Merit-cum-Means (MCM) scholarship: income < ₹4.5 lakh; covers tuition; apply in first semester
• Institute Free Studentship: poorest students; covers tuition + mess charges