#221 in the world · QS 2027

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान कानपुर

A 1,055-acre residential IIT that taught India's first computer science courses and still sets the pace in CS and AI.

Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India Public technical and research university (Institute of National Importance) Founded 1959 Official website

See my chances at IIT Kanpur Admissions office

Photo: Johannes Bader · CC BY 2.0

Students: 9,209; 4,932 undergraduates
Tuition: ₹0; From · 2026-27
Founded: 1959
QS World Ranking: #221; 2027 edition

About IIT Kanpur

IIT Kanpur was established by the Government of India in 1959 as one of the first-generation IITs. In its first decade it was shaped by the Kanpur Indo-American Programme (1962-1972), in which a consortium of US universities helped build its labs and curricula, and it was the first institute in India to offer computer science education, starting with a course on an IBM 1620 in 1963.

The institute is organised into departments of engineering (Aerospace, Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Chemical, Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, Materials Science, Mechanical, Design, Sustainable Energy, Space and Planetary Sciences, Intelligent Systems), sciences (Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Earth Sciences, Cognitive Science, Statistics and Data Science) and Humanities, Economic Sciences and Management, plus the Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, the Kotak School of Sustainability and the Wadhwani School of AI and Intelligent Systems.

Its official overview lists more than 5,000 undergraduates, about 2,200 postgraduates and 2,350 PhD students (2024-25), 570 faculty and a 1,055-acre campus where nearly all students live. Undergraduates enter four-year B.Tech and BS programmes through JEE (Advanced) and JoSAA, with a handful of seats for national Olympiad qualifiers. It suits students who want a rigorous, research-heavy IIT on a quiet, self-contained campus.

तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय (Tamaso mā jyotirgamaya)

“Lead me from darkness to light” — university motto

Why students choose IIT Kanpur

B.Tech graduates who finished in 2024-25 reported a median placement salary of Rs 21.7 lakh a year in the institute's NIRF 2026 data.

A small Olympiad route: IIT Kanpur offers a few B.Tech and BS seats to national Olympiad qualifiers and IMO training camp students, selected by a computer-based test.

BS programmes in Economics, Statistics and Data Science, Mathematics and Scientific Computing, Physics and Chemistry sit alongside B.Tech degrees.

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

Admissions

2027 entry via JEE (Advanced) 2027 and JoSAA 2027 (rules shown are from the 2026 cycle)

Selectivity

IIT Kanpur does not publish an acceptance rate. For 2026, only the top 2,50,000 JEE (Main) candidates (plus directly registered foreign nationals) could sit JEE (Advanced), and seats are allotted by rank through JoSAA.

Testing Required: JEE (Advanced) for B.Tech and BS programmes (Indian nationals must first qualify through JEE (Main); foreign nationals register directly). A small number of seats are filled through the Olympiad route, which uses its own computer-based test.

Grades Class XII (or equivalent) with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, and either at least 75% aggregate (65% for SC, ST and PwD) or a place in the top 20 percentile of your board.

Typical entry requirements

Indian Class XII (CBSE, state boards and equivalents)	Qualify in the top 2,50,000 of JEE (Main), then a strong JEE (Advanced) rank; Class XII with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics and 75% aggregate or top 20 percentile
Foreign nationals and OCI/PIO (F)	Direct JEE (Advanced) registration without JEE (Main); for 2026, born on or after 1 October 2001, maximum two attempts in consecutive years; a seat needs a rank at least as good as the programme's OPEN closing rank
Olympiad route (2026-27)	Selection for the IMO Training Camp or qualification in INChO, INPhO or INBO in 2025 or 2026, plus Class XII with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics; ranked by a computer-based test. Only a few seats per programme (for example 6 in Computer Science and Engineering, 2 in Chemistry)

Deadlines

JEE (Advanced) 2026 direct registration for foreign nationals (reference) Non-binding Passed

2 May 2026

Opened 6 April 2026; fee payment until 4 May 2026. Registration for JEE (Main)-qualified candidates ran 23 April to 2 May 2026.
JEE (Advanced) 2026 exam (reference) Non-binding Passed

17 May 2026

Two compulsory three-hour papers, followed by JoSAA seat allocation in June and July.

These are 2026-cycle dates from the JEE (Advanced) 2026 information brochure. The JEE (Advanced) 2027 schedule and the 2027-28 Olympiad notification had not been published on the pages checked.

How to apply

Indian nationals take JEE (Main), then JEE (Advanced) if they qualify, and choose IIT Kanpur programmes during JoSAA counselling. Foreign nationals register directly for JEE (Advanced) and compete for supernumerary seats capped at 10% of each course. Olympiad qualifiers apply separately through IIT Kanpur's Pingala portal. DASA is not a route into IITs.

What admissions looks for

A high JEE (Advanced) rank: seats are allotted strictly by rank and category.
Class XII with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics meeting the 75% or top-20-percentile criterion.
For the Olympiad route, national Olympiad or IMO training camp selection and performance in IIT Kanpur's computer-based test.
For foreign nationals, a rank at or above the programme's OPEN closing rank.

Tips for applying to IIT Kanpur

1 If you reached INPhO, INChO, INBO or the IMO training camp, watch the IIT Kanpur Olympiad admission notice: it is a separate route to a few B.Tech and BS seats.
2 Consider the BS programmes (Economics, Statistics and Data Science, Mathematics and Scientific Computing) as well as B.Tech when filling JoSAA choices.
3 Foreign nationals skip JEE (Main); the 2026 registration fee was USD 200 for non-SAARC residents (USD 100 for SAARC).
4 Keep income documents ready: the tuition waiver for families under Rs 5 lakh a year requires income proof.

Costs & financial aid

2026-27 · figures in INR

Indian nationals: Rs 1,00,000 tuition per semester for GEN/OBC (family income above Rs 5 lakh), Rs 33,333 for income Rs 1-5 lakh, nil below Rs 1 lakh and for SC, ST and PwD Tuition ₹0 – ₹200,000

Financial aid

SC, ST and PwD students and the Most Economically Backward (family income under Rs 1 lakh) get a full tuition waiver; families earning Rs 1-5 lakh pay one third of tuition. SC and ST students with family income under Rs 6 lakh are not charged seat rent. Foreign-national fees are set separately (for older batches, USD 1,000 per semester plus Rs 16,691 in charges for B.Tech/BS in 2025-26).

Rs 1,58,415 including tuition, deposits, semester fee and mess establishment
First-semester fees, new UG students 2026-27 (GEN/OBC): Rs 58,415
First-semester fees, SC/ST/PwD/MEB: Rs 26,000 (one-time)
Refundable security deposit

Academics

Academic calendar: Semesters

B.Tech Computer Science and Engineering

The department traces back to India's first computer course (1963) and takes Olympiad entrants as well as JEE rankers.

B.Tech Intelligent Systems

An AI-focused B.Tech run by the Department of Intelligent Systems, also open to Olympiad entrants.

BS Economics

A four-year economics degree inside an IIT, admitted through JEE (Advanced) and the Mathematics Olympiad route.

BS Statistics and Data Science

Run by a separate Department of Statistics and Data Science, and open to Olympiad entrants as well as JEE rankers.

B.Tech Aerospace Engineering

The campus has its own airstrip, used for flight workshops.

Research

The institute reports more than 2,000 publications in 2023, over 1,000 patents filed and research funding of more than Rs 8,940 million over three years.
Researchers developed MARAAL, described as the first solar-powered UAV built in India.
It has an extension centre in Noida and schools funded by alumni and industry, such as the Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology.

Schools & faculties

Department of Aerospace Engineering
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Department of Electrical Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Economic Sciences
Department of Statistics and Data Science
Department of Design
Department of Cognitive Science
Department of Management Sciences
Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology
Kotak School of Sustainability
Wadhwani School of AI and Intelligent Systems

NIRF 2026 data: of 1,205 four-year UG students graduating in minimum time in 2024-25, 855 were placed (median salary Rs 21,70,000 a year) and 257 went on to higher studies.

Student life

Nearly all IIT Kanpur students live on campus, which has 15 halls of residence for undergraduates, postgraduates and doctoral students, a Student Activities Centre and a sports complex outside the academic area. The calendar is built around student-run festivals: Antaragni, the cultural festival started in 1965 and held in October; Techkriti, the technical and entrepreneurship festival in March; and Udghosh, the sports festival. The campus sits away from the city, so hobby clubs, cultural societies and sport fill most evenings.

Antaragni, the cultural festival held every October since 1965.
Techkriti, a four-day technical and entrepreneurship festival started in 1995.
Udghosh, the annual inter-college sports festival.
An on-campus airstrip used for flight workshops.

Housing. Nearly all students live on campus in the institute's halls of residence.

Location

The campus is on the Grand Trunk Road about 15 km west of Kanpur city in Uttar Pradesh. It is quiet, green and largely self-contained, with its own shops, health centre and schools; Kanpur itself is a large industrial city with rail links across northern India. Most students stay on campus for day-to-day life.

Nearest airport: Kanpur Airport (KNU), with Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (LKO) for wider connections

Notable alumni

NR
N. R. Narayana Murthy

Founder of Infosys; master's degree from IIT Kanpur (1969)
AK
Arvind Krishna

Chairman and CEO of IBM; B.Tech in electrical engineering (1985)
RG
Rakesh Gangwal

Co-founder of IndiGo Airlines; B.Tech in mechanical engineering (1975)
NS
Nitin Saxena

Co-author of the AKS primality test; B.Tech in computer science (2002)
AJ
Ashok Jhunjhunwala

Telecom innovator and IIT Madras professor; B.Tech in electrical engineering

Frequently asked questions

How do I get into IIT Kanpur?

Mainly through JEE (Advanced) and JoSAA seat allocation, after qualifying in JEE (Main) if you are an Indian national. A few seats are also offered each year to national Olympiad qualifiers through a separate computer-based test.

Can foreign students apply to IIT Kanpur?

Yes. Foreign nationals register directly for JEE (Advanced), skip JEE (Main), and compete for supernumerary seats capped at 10% of each course. DASA does not cover IITs.

What are the fees at IIT Kanpur?

For 2026-27 new undergraduates, tuition is Rs 1,00,000 per semester for general and OBC students with family income above Rs 5 lakh, with the first-semester total at Rs 1,58,415. Tuition is reduced or waived for lower-income, SC, ST and PwD students.

What is the IIT Kanpur acceptance rate?

IIT Kanpur does not publish one. Admission depends on your JEE (Advanced) rank and the closing rank of each programme in JoSAA.

Do IIT Kanpur students live on campus?

Nearly all do, in 15 halls of residence on the 1,055-acre campus.

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.