Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान खड़गपुर
India's first IIT, opened in 1951 in a former detention camp and now a residential campus of 15,000 students.
- Students
- 15,060
- 8,452 undergraduates
- Tuition
- ₹200K
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1951
- QS World Ranking
- #205
- 2027 edition
About IIT Kharagpur
IIT Kharagpur was the first of the Indian Institutes of Technology. It began in May 1950 in Hijli, in the old Hijli Detention Camp where freedom fighters had been held by the British, took the name Indian Institute of Technology before its formal inauguration on 18 August 1951, and started with 224 freshers. The former detention camp building now houses the Nehru Museum of Science and Technology.
Today it is the broadest of the IITs. Alongside the core engineering and science departments (Aerospace, Chemical, Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical, Metallurgical, Mining, Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics), it has Agricultural and Food Engineering, Architecture and Regional Planning, Artificial Intelligence, a medical science school, the Vinod Gupta School of Management and the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law. In its NIRF 2026 data it reported about 8,450 undergraduates, 3,580 postgraduates and 3,030 PhD students.
Undergraduates enter four-year B.Tech (Hons.) and BS programmes and the B.Arch. through JEE (Advanced) and JoSAA seat allocation. The campus is about 120 km west of Kolkata and fully residential, organised around halls of residence. It suits students who want a large engineering school with a strong culture of student-run festivals, and who are happy to live in a small railway town rather than a metro.
योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् (Yogah karmasu kaushalam)
“Excellence in action is Yoga” — university motto
Why students choose IIT Kharagpur
The widest spread of subjects of any IIT, from Mining and Ocean Engineering to Architecture, Agricultural and Food Engineering, Law and Management.
Four-year B.Tech graduates who finished in 2024-25 reported a median placement salary of Rs 20.66 lakh a year in the institute's NIRF 2026 data.
Tuition waivers are income-linked: Indian students from families earning under Rs 1 lakh a year pay no tuition, and those between Rs 1 and 5 lakh pay one third.
Student-run Spring Fest (culture) and Kshitij (technology and management) are held every spring semester, with Shaurya for sport in the autumn.
Admissions
2027 entry via JEE (Advanced) 2027 and JoSAA 2027 (rules shown are from the 2026 cycle)
Selectivity
IIT Kharagpur 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 strictly by rank through JoSAA.
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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Deadlines
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 direct registration for foreign nationals (reference) Non-binding Passed2 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 Passed17 May 2026
Two compulsory three-hour papers on the same day, followed by JoSAA seat allocation rounds in June and July.
These are 2026-cycle dates from the JEE (Advanced) 2026 information brochure. The JEE (Advanced) 2027 schedule had not been published on the pages checked; 2026 entrants registered at IIT Kharagpur on 24 July 2026 and classes began on 29 July 2026.
How to apply
Indian nationals take JEE (Main), then JEE (Advanced) if they qualify, and list IIT Kharagpur programmes during JoSAA counselling. Foreign nationals register directly for JEE (Advanced) and compete for supernumerary seats (capped at 10% of each course). Admitted students register at the institute in late July. DASA is not a route into IITs.
What admissions looks for
- A high JEE (Advanced) rank: seats are allotted by rank and category through JoSAA.
- Class XII (or equivalent) with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, meeting the Class XII performance criterion.
- For B.Arch., a pass in the Architecture Aptitude Test after JEE (Advanced).
- For foreign nationals, a rank at or above the OPEN closing rank of the programme.
Tips for applying to IIT Kharagpur
- 1 Foreign nationals skip JEE (Main) and register for JEE (Advanced) directly; the registration fee in 2026 was USD 200 for non-SAARC residents (USD 100 for SAARC).
- 2 Check the Class XII year limits: for 2026, only students who first sat Class XII in 2025 or 2026 were eligible.
- 3 Look beyond B.Tech: IIT Kharagpur's JoSAA list includes 4-year BS programmes and the B.Arch.
- 4 If your family income is under Rs 5 lakh a year, upload income documents to the ERP by the deadline (30 September in 2026) to get the tuition waiver.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in INR
Tuition is waived in full for SC, ST and PwD students and for general, EWS and OBC-NCL students with family income below Rs 1 lakh a year, and cut to one third for family income between Rs 1 and 5 lakh. The admission guidelines list further scholarships. The fee structure is marked tentative.
- Rs 1,62,981 including tuition, refundable deposits, hall and mess charges
- First-semester total for new UG students (tentative)
- Rs 14,500 per semester
- Mess charge
- Rs 24,354 per semester
- Hall establishment charge
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (Autumn and Spring)
B.Tech (Hons.) Computer Science and Engineering
Taught alongside a separate Department of Artificial Intelligence, one of the newer academic units at Kharagpur.
B.Tech (Hons.) Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
The degree taken at Kharagpur by Google CEO Sundar Pichai and former Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin.
B.Tech (Hons.) Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture
A dedicated department for ship design and offshore engineering, open to JEE (Advanced) entrants.
B.Tech (Hons.) Agricultural and Food Engineering
Linked to the institute's Centre of Excellence in Precision Agriculture and Food Nutrition.
B.Arch. (Hons.) Architecture
Entry through JEE (Advanced) plus the Architecture Aptitude Test.
Research
- Centres include the Centre for Railway Research, the Steel Technology Centre and the Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Sciences (CORAL).
- The institute spent about Rs 161 crore on new laboratory equipment in 2023-24, according to its NIRF 2025 data.
- About 3,000 full-time PhD students were enrolled in 2024-25, with 295 PhDs awarded that year.
Schools & faculties
- Aerospace Engineering
- Agricultural and Food Engineering
- Architecture and Regional Planning
- Artificial Intelligence
- Computer Science and Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
- Mining Engineering
- Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture
- Vinod Gupta School of Management
- Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law
NIRF 2026 data: of 1,168 four-year UG students graduating in minimum time in 2024-25, 535 were placed (median salary Rs 20,65,556 a year) and 531 went on to higher studies.
Student life
IIT Kharagpur is fully residential: students live in halls of residence throughout their degree, and each new undergraduate is allotted a hall before arriving. Hall life drives much of the culture, from inter-hall competitions to the lighting and decoration traditions. The institute runs two big student-managed festivals in the spring semester, Spring Fest (culture) and Kshitij (technology and management), and the inter-college sports meet Shaurya in the autumn. The Tagore Open Air Theatre seats about 6,000 for performances.
- Spring Fest, a student-run cultural festival held in January.
- Kshitij, a techno-management festival that includes the Robotix robotics competition.
- Shaurya, an inter-college sports meet held each October.
- The Nehru Museum of Science and Technology in the historic Hijli Detention Camp building.
Housing. All students live on campus in halls of residence; first-year undergraduates are allotted a hall through the ERP system before registration.
Location
Kharagpur is a railway town in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district, about 120 km west of Kolkata. The campus is a self-contained world a few kilometres from the town centre, with its own shops, health centre and sports facilities. Kolkata is reachable by train for weekends, but day-to-day life happens on campus.
Nearest airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata (CCU)
Notable alumni
- SP Sundar PichaiCEO of Google and Alphabet; B.Tech in metallurgical engineering (1993)
- AS Arun SarinFormer CEO of Vodafone; B.Tech in metallurgical engineering
- AJ Ajit JainVice Chairman of Insurance Operations at Berkshire Hathaway; B.Tech in mechanical engineering (1972)
- VG Vinod GuptaFounder of Infogroup and philanthropist behind the Vinod Gupta School of Management; agricultural engineering graduate
- SP Suhas PatilFounder of Cirrus Logic; bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
- BS Biswapati SarkarScreenwriter and producer (TVF); MSc in statistics
Frequently asked questions
How do I get into IIT Kharagpur?
Through JEE (Advanced) and JoSAA seat allocation. Indian students must first qualify in JEE (Main); seats are then allotted strictly by JEE (Advanced) rank and category.
Can international students apply to IIT Kharagpur?
Yes. Foreign nationals register directly for JEE (Advanced) without JEE (Main) and compete for supernumerary seats, capped at 10% of each course, provided their rank is at least the programme's OPEN closing rank. DASA does not cover IITs.
What are IIT Kharagpur's fees?
Tuition for Indian students is Rs 1,00,000 per semester, reduced to Rs 33,335 for family income of Rs 1-5 lakh and waived below Rs 1 lakh and for SC, ST and PwD students. Foreign students pay Rs 6.0 lakh a year (Rs 2.0 lakh from SAARC countries), plus hall, mess and other charges.
What is the acceptance rate at IIT Kharagpur?
IIT Kharagpur does not publish one. Only the top 2,50,000 JEE (Main) candidates can sit JEE (Advanced), and places go to the best-ranked candidates for each programme.
Is IIT Kharagpur residential?
Yes. All students live in the institute's halls of residence, and the campus hosts festivals such as Spring Fest and Kshitij.
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.
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