The cream and red domed building of the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT (BHU) Varanasi behind a lawn lined with palm trees
#510 in the world · QS 2027

Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi

भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान (का.हि.वि.) वाराणसी

A century-old engineering school turned IIT, set inside the Banaras Hindu University campus in Varanasi.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Public technical university (Institute of National Importance) Founded 1919 Official website
Photo: Kuber Patel, Rosehub · CC BY-SA 4.0
Students
8,868
6,540 undergraduates
Tuition
₹200K
2026-27
Founded
1919
QS World Ranking
#510
2027 edition

About IIT (BHU)

IIT (BHU) Varanasi began in 1919 as the Banaras Engineering College, part of Banaras Hindu University. It merged with the College of Mining and Metallurgy and the College of Technology in 1968 to form the Institute of Technology, BHU, and was converted into an Indian Institute of Technology by an Act of Parliament in 2012. It still sits inside the BHU campus and keeps academic and administrative ties to the university.

The institute teaches through engineering departments (Architecture, Planning and Design; Ceramic; Chemical; Civil; Computer Science; Electrical; Electronics; Mechanical; Metallurgical; Mining; Pharmaceutical Engineering), science departments (Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences, Physics), a Humanistic Studies department and interdisciplinary schools such as Biochemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Technology and the new School of Physical AI. In its NIRF 2026 data it reported about 6,540 undergraduates, 973 master's students and 1,355 PhD scholars.

Undergraduate entry is through JEE Advanced and the joint JoSAA seat allocation, so admission is extremely competitive. It suits students who want a full IIT engineering education, including unusual branches like ceramic, mining and pharmaceutical engineering, in one of India's oldest cities.

Why students choose IIT (BHU)

01

It is a full Indian Institute of Technology with roots going back to 1919, and it offers rarer branches such as Ceramic, Mining, Metallurgical and Pharmaceutical Engineering.

02

The median salary of placed 4-year undergraduates graduating in 2024-25 was Rs 18 lakh, and Rs 22 lakh for 5-year programme graduates (NIRF 2026 data).

03

Tuition is waived for SC, ST and PwD students and for families earning under Rs 1 lakh a year, and cut to one third for families earning Rs 1-5 lakh.

04

Students run four big annual festivals: Technex (techno-management), Kashiyatra (socio-cultural), Spardha (sports) and FMC Weekend (film and media).

Admissions

2027 entry via JEE (Advanced) 2027 and JoSAA 2027 (dates not yet announced)

Selectivity

Undergraduate places are allotted by JEE (Advanced) rank through JoSAA. Only the top 2,50,000 JEE (Main) candidates may sit JEE (Advanced); the approved intake at IIT (BHU) was 1,189 places in 4-year and 400 in 5-year programmes in 2024-25.

Testing Indian nationals: JEE (Main), then JEE (Advanced). Foreign nationals and OCI/PIO (F) candidates do not need JEE (Main) and register for JEE (Advanced) directly. B.Arch also needs the Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT).

Typical entry requirements

Class XII (or equivalent)Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as compulsory subjects; for JEE (Advanced) 2026, Class XII must have been taken for the first time in 2025 or 2026
JEE (Advanced)Seat allotted by Common Rank List position through JoSAA; maximum two attempts in consecutive years
Foreign nationalsRegister directly for JEE (Advanced); a seat is allotted if the candidate's CRL rank is at or above the programme's OPEN gender-neutral closing rank, in supernumerary seats capped at 10% per programme

Deadlines

  1. JEE (Advanced) 2026 results (2026 cycle, past) Non-binding Passed
    7 June 2026

    Results were released on the JoSAA portal; the Architecture Aptitude Test was held on 4 June 2026.

  2. JoSAA 2026 withdrawal deadline (2026 cycle, past) Non-binding Passed
    14 July 2026, 5 pm IST

    Last date to withdraw from seat allocation.

  3. JoSAA 2026 Round 5 acceptance (2026 cycle, past) Non-binding Passed
    20 July 2026, 5 pm IST

    Documents and seat acceptance fee due for candidates first allotted in Round 5.

All dates shown are from the 2026 cycle and have passed. JEE (Advanced) 2027 and JoSAA 2027 dates have not yet been published; JEE (Advanced) results normally come out in early June with JoSAA rounds through July.

How to apply

Indian candidates take JEE (Main), and the top 2,50,000 qualify to register for JEE (Advanced). Foreign nationals register for JEE (Advanced) directly. After results, candidates register and fill choices on the JoSAA portal, which allots IIT seats in several rounds; candidates must accept the seat, upload documents and pay the seat acceptance fee by each round's deadline.

What admissions looks for

  • A high JEE (Advanced) Common Rank List rank: seats go strictly by rank and category.
  • Eligibility through JEE (Main): only the top 2,50,000 candidates across categories may sit JEE (Advanced).
  • Class XII with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, taken in the current or previous year.
  • For B.Arch, a pass in the Architecture Aptitude Test.

Tips for applying to IIT (BHU)

  1. 1 If you are not an Indian citizen, skip JEE (Main): foreign nationals register for JEE (Advanced) directly and compete for supernumerary seats capped at 10% per programme.
  2. 2 OCI/PIO cardholders who got their cards before 4 March 2021 must choose once, at registration, whether to be treated as Indian or foreign nationals.
  3. 3 Check the previous year's JoSAA closing ranks for IIT (BHU) by branch; branches such as Ceramic, Mining or Pharmaceutical Engineering close at different ranks from Computer Science.
  4. 4 Keep to JoSAA deadlines: each round requires online acceptance, document upload and fee payment by 5 pm IST.

Costs & financial aid

2026-27 · figures in INR

Indian students, B.Tech/B.Pharm/B.Arch/IDD: Rs 1,00,000 per semester x 2 = Rs 2,00,000 a year (family income above Rs 5 lakh). One third for families earning Rs 1-5 lakh; waived for families under Rs 1 lakh and for SC/ST/PwD students Tuition ₹200,000
Financial aid

Tuition is means-tested for Indian students: those with family income under Rs 1 lakh and all SC, ST and PwD students pay no tuition or hostel seat rent, and those with family income between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh pay one third (Rs 33,333 per semester).

Rs 1,06,350 per semester
Total semester fee (non-hostel items plus tuition), full-fee students
Rs 1,21,465 for full-fee students
One-time admission payment (fees plus refundable deposits and first semester)

Academics

Academic calendar: Semesters (odd and even)

Computer Science and Engineering (B.Tech)

A four-year B.Tech admitted by JEE (Advanced) rank through JoSAA, backed by the Jay Chaudhry Software Innovation Centre and a Coforge Data and AI Lab on campus.

Mining Engineering

Mining has been taught here since 1923, when it became a separate department of the Banaras Engineering College.

Metallurgical Engineering

Descends from the College of Mining and Metallurgy (MINMET), one of the three colleges merged into IT-BHU in 1968.

Ceramic Engineering

Grew out of the Department of Silicate Technology, a branch few Indian institutes offer.

Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology (B.Pharm and dual degree)

BHU was among the first Indian universities to teach pharmaceutics at degree level.

Architecture (B.Arch)

A five-year programme started in 2019-20 with IIT Roorkee, requiring the JEE (Advanced) Architecture Aptitude Test.

Research

  • Sponsored research income rose to Rs 86.3 crore across 528 projects in 2024-25, from Rs 44.2 crore in 2023-24 (NIRF 2026 data).
  • The institute had 91 patents granted in calendar year 2024.
  • Research facilities include a Supercomputing Center, the Central Instrument Facility and the Precision Engineering Hub, plus the I-DAPT Hub Foundation and a Coforge Data and AI Lab.

Schools & faculties

  • Department of Architecture, Planning and Design
  • Department of Ceramic Engineering
  • Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology
  • Department of Civil Engineering
  • Department of Computer Science and Engineering
  • Department of Electrical Engineering
  • Department of Electronics Engineering
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering
  • Department of Metallurgical Engineering
  • Department of Mining Engineering
  • Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Technology
  • Interdisciplinary schools (Biochemical, Biomedical, Materials Science and Technology, Physical AI)

Of 1,106 students graduating from 4-year UG programmes in 2024-25, 1,079 were placed, with a median salary of Rs 18,00,000; 338 of 363 graduates of 5-year programmes were placed at a median of Rs 22,00,000 (NIRF 2026 data).

Student life

IIT (BHU) is residential: students live in named hostels such as Aryabhatta, S. N. Bose and C. V. Raman, inside the wide, green Banaras Hindu University campus. Student life is run through councils and clubs, with four big annual festivals: Technex (techno-management), Kashiyatra (cultural), Spardha (sports) and FMC Weekend (film and media). The Training and Placement Cell reports that nearly 200 companies visit campus for interviews.

  • Technex, the annual techno-management festival.
  • Kashiyatra, the socio-cultural festival, and Spardha, the sports festival.
  • Hostels including Aryabhatta I and II, S. N. Bose and Dr. C. V. Raman, one of the oldest.
  • The institute shares its campus with Banaras Hindu University, with which it keeps academic and administrative ties.

Housing. Students live in institute hostels; the semester fee includes hostel seat rent, electricity and water charges and a hostel development fund.

Location

Varanasi, on the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and a major Hindu pilgrimage centre, famous for its ghats and riverside rituals. The institute sits inside the leafy Banaras Hindu University campus in the south of the city, a calmer space than the crowded old town.

Nearest airport: Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi (VNS)

Notable alumni

  • NA
    Nikesh Arora
    CEO of Palo Alto Networks; former president of SoftBank and senior executive at Google
  • JC
    Jay Chaudhry
    Founder and CEO of Zscaler
  • DA
    Deepak Ahuja
    Former CFO of Tesla
  • KK
    Krishan Kant
    Former Vice-President of India
  • MS
    Manoj Sinha
    Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir; former Minister of State for Railways and Communications
  • VG
    Varun Grover
    National Film Award-winning lyricist, known for Gangs of Wasseypur
  • TA
    Thomas Anantharaman
    Member of the IBM team that developed the Deep Blue chess computer
  • NM
    Nikku Madhusudhan
    Professor of Astrophysics and Exoplanetary Science at the University of Cambridge

Frequently asked questions

How do I get into IIT (BHU) Varanasi?

Through JEE (Advanced) and JoSAA seat allocation. Indian students must first be among the top 2,50,000 in JEE (Main); seats are then allotted by JEE (Advanced) rank and category.

Can foreign students apply to IIT (BHU)?

Yes. Foreign nationals do not need JEE (Main) and can register for JEE (Advanced) directly. They compete for supernumerary seats, capped at 10% of each programme, and must rank at or above the OPEN closing rank.

What are the fees at IIT (BHU) Varanasi?

B.Tech tuition is Rs 1,00,000 per semester (Rs 2,00,000 a year), and the total semester fee is Rs 1,06,350. Families earning Rs 1-5 lakh pay one third of tuition, and those under Rs 1 lakh and SC/ST/PwD students pay none. Foreign students pay the same plus US$1,000 (SAARC) or US$2,000 (others) per semester.

What is the average package at IIT (BHU)?

According to the institute's NIRF 2026 data, the median salary for placed 4-year undergraduates graduating in 2024-25 was Rs 18 lakh, and 1,079 of 1,106 graduates were placed.

Is IIT (BHU) part of Banaras Hindu University?

It became an IIT in 2012 and is an independent Institute of National Importance, but it is located inside the BHU campus and keeps academic and administrative ties with the university.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.