Indian Institute of Technology Madras
भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान मद्रास
India's top-ranked engineering institute on NIRF, set in a wooded Chennai campus and entered almost entirely through JEE Advanced.
- Students
- 10,797
- 4,882 undergraduates
- Tuition
- ₹1M
- 2025-26
- Founded
- 1959
- QS World Ranking
- #170
- 2027 edition
About IIT Madras
IIT Madras was founded in 1959 with technical assistance from West Germany and was declared an Institute of National Importance by the Indian Parliament in 1961. It is one of India's original IITs and has been designated an Institute of Eminence. Its self-contained residential campus in south Chennai covers about 250 hectares of woodland. Students share it with the families of faculty and staff.
The institute is organised into 16 academic departments, from aerospace, ocean and engineering design to data science and AI, medical science and technology, physics and management. Undergraduates take four-year B.Tech and BS degrees or five-year dual degrees (B.Tech plus M.Tech). According to its 2026 NIRF data, there are about 4,900 undergraduates, 3,200 master's students and 2,700 PhD scholars.
For almost every applicant, the route in is the national JEE (Main) followed by JEE (Advanced), with seats allocated by rank through JoSAA. That makes IIT Madras one of the most selective places to study engineering anywhere. The institute also runs a separate, open-admission online BS in Data Science and Applications. The campus suits students who want an intense, residential technical education, a strong start-up and research-park culture, and big student-run festivals such as Saarang and Shaastra.
सिद्धिर्भवति कर्मजा
“Success is born out of action” — university motto
Why students choose IIT Madras
IIT Madras says it has been NIRF's number one engineering institute for 10 years and number one overall for seven years.
Among 2024-25 four-year undergraduate graduates reported to NIRF, 631 were placed at a median salary of ₹17.78 lakh, and 147 went on to higher studies.
The IITM Research Park and centres such as the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI and the Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre sit alongside teaching departments.
Besides JEE, special channels admit students for sports (SEA), fine arts and culture (FACE), science olympiad performance (SCOPE) and, for BS Mathematics, maths olympiads (OAM).
Admissions
2027 entry (JEE Advanced 2027 / JoSAA 2027)
Selectivity
IIT Madras does not publish an acceptance rate. B.Tech, dual-degree and most BS seats are allotted by JEE (Advanced) rank through JoSAA. In 2026, only the top 2,50,000 candidates in the B.E./B.Tech. paper of JEE (Main) could sit JEE (Advanced), and the institute's sanctioned four-year UG intake for 2024-25 was 1,003 seats.
Typical entry requirements
| Indian Class XII (CBSE, state boards, ISC) | Physics, chemistry and mathematics; at least 75% aggregate (65% SC/ST/PwD) or top 20 percentile of the board, plus a qualifying JEE (Advanced) rank high enough for your chosen IIT Madras programme in JoSAA |
|---|---|
| Foreign nationals and OCI/PIO (F) | Register for JEE (Advanced) directly (no JEE Main); qualify and compete for supernumerary foreign-national seats capped at 10% of each course through JoSAA |
| IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) | Route to BS Medical Sciences and Engineering and BS Chemistry, subject to the Class XII performance criterion |
| Online BS in Data Science and Applications | Anyone who has passed Class 12 (or is in Class 11 or 12) can apply; admission is by a four-week qualifier course and an in-person qualifier exam, or directly for candidates eligible for the latest JEE (Advanced) |
Deadlines
- JEE (Advanced) examination (2026 cycle, for reference) Passed17 May 2026
Two compulsory three-hour papers on the same day; organised in 2026 by IIT Roorkee. JoSAA seat allocation followed, and new students reported to IIT Madras on 23–24 July 2026.
JEE (Advanced) 2027 dates and the organising IIT had not been announced on 29 September 2026. Check jeeadv.ac.in and the JEE (Main) 2027 notice from the National Testing Agency. For reference, in 2026 JEE (Advanced) was held on 17 May, UG admission and document verification at IIT Madras took place on 23–24 July, and classes began on 30 July. The online BS qualifier has several terms a year (the September 2026 term closed to applications on 29 September 2026).
How to apply
Indian applicants take JEE (Main) (B.E./B.Tech. paper), then, if in the qualifying top 2,50,000, register for and take JEE (Advanced). Seats are then chosen and allotted by rank in JoSAA counselling rounds, followed by document verification at IIT Madras. Foreign nationals register for JEE (Advanced) directly. DASA does not cover IITs: its scheme is for NITs, IIITs and other institutes. The on-campus BS routes use the IAT, SEA, FACE, SCOPE or OAM applications at ugadmissions.iitm.ac.in.
What admissions looks for
- Your JEE (Advanced) rank, which decides whether and in which IIT Madras programme you get a seat in JoSAA.
- Class XII performance: 75% aggregate (65% for SC/ST/PwD) or top 20 percentile of your board, with physics, chemistry and mathematics.
- For SCOPE, demonstrated excellence in national or international science olympiads, such as reaching the HBCSE Orientation-cum-Selection Camps or IOITC.
- For SEA and FACE, proven achievement in sport or in fine arts and culture, on top of qualifying JEE (Advanced).
Tips for applying to IIT Madras
- 1 You only get two attempts at JEE (Advanced), in consecutive years, and must have first sat Class XII in the current or previous year, so plan your preparation around that window.
- 2 If you are a foreign national, you can skip JEE (Main) and register for JEE (Advanced) directly. DASA will not get you into an IIT.
- 3 OCI/PIO card holders whose cards predate 4 March 2021 must choose to be treated as Indian or foreign nationals when registering; this decision is final, so compare the two seat pools first.
- 4 Look at the SEA, FACE and SCOPE channels if you have serious sports, arts or olympiad credentials; IIT Madras is one of very few IITs running all three.
- 5 If JEE is not for you, the online BS in Data Science and Applications admits anyone with Class 12 through a four-week qualifier.
Costs & financial aid
2025-26 · figures in INR
Indian students from SC/ST/PwD categories pay no tuition. General, OBC-NCL and EWS students get full tuition remission if family income is under ₹1 lakh and two-thirds remission between ₹1 lakh and ₹5 lakh. Institute Merit-cum-Means scholarships and free studentships (each for up to 25% of students admitted, family income up to ₹4.5 lakh) give a 67% tuition exemption. Interest-free loans are available under the Vidyalakshmi scheme for the tuition payable.
- ₹1,15,402
- Total institute fee per semester, Indian nationals, family income above ₹5 lakh (2024 batch)
- ₹5,13,000
- Total institute fee per semester, foreign nationals (2024 batch)
- USD 100–300 depending on residence and exam centre
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 registration fee, foreign nationals
- ₹3,86,000 – ₹4,50,000 for the full BS (142 credits)
- Online BS degree total fees (from January 2026 term)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (July–November and January–May)
B.Tech Computer Science and Engineering
IIT Madras's flagship four-year B.Tech, admitted through JEE (Advanced) and JoSAA.
B.Tech Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics
Run by the Department of Data Science and AI, alongside the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI.
B.Tech Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
Offered by the Department of Ocean Engineering; the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts is also on campus.
Engineering Design Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech)
A five-year programme from the Department of Engineering Design that awards both a B.Tech and an M.Tech.
BS Medical Sciences and Engineering
An interdisciplinary programme taught by medical and engineering faculty with a hospital internship, admitted through the IISER Aptitude Test.
BS in Data Science and Applications (online)
A separate online degree open to anyone with Class 12 via a qualifier; the full BS costs ₹3.86–4.5 lakh and exams are held in person at exam cities.
Research
- The institute runs the IITM Research Park, an Incubation Cell, the IITM Bioincubator and IITM Pravartak for start-ups and technology transfer.
- National research centres on campus include the National Centre for Combustion Research and Development and the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts.
- Institute centres include the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI, the Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre and a SERB National Facility for Cryo-Electron Microscopy.
- IIT Madras reported 2,399 full-time PhD scholars and 485 full-time PhD graduates in 2024-25 (NIRF 2026).
Schools & faculties
- Aerospace Engineering
- Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering
- Biotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Science and Engineering
- Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
- Electrical Engineering
- Engineering Design
- Mechanical Engineering
- Medical Science and Technology
- Ocean Engineering
NIRF 2026 data: of 781 four-year UG students who graduated in the minimum time in 2024-25, 631 were placed, at a median salary of ₹17,78,000, and 147 went on to higher studies. For five-year dual-degree graduates, 259 of 306 were placed, at a median of ₹22,00,000.
Student life
IIT Madras is fully residential: undergraduates live in campus hostels such as Brahmaputra, Godavari and Jamuna, and eat in shared messes on a wooded campus. Campus life has its own slang, which the institute calls Insti lingo. The year is punctuated by large student-run festivals: Saarang (culture), Shaastra (technology) and E-Summit (entrepreneurship). Students pay for these as an optional fee with their hostel bills. Sports are centred on the Manohar C Watsa Stadium.
- Saarang, Shaastra and E-Summit are major student-run festivals.
- Students live in on-campus hostels such as Brahmaputra, Godavari, Jamuna and Mandakini, in a self-contained residential community.
- Special admission channels (SEA and FACE) bring in students for sporting and cultural excellence.
- IIT Madras also has a campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Housing. Undergraduates live on campus; new B.Tech and BS hostellers paid ₹20,750 in hostel fees (including a ₹5,000 refundable deposit) for the July–November 2025 semester, plus mess charges.
Location
The campus is in south Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. Inside the gates, IIT Madras is a self-contained, wooded campus of about 250 hectares with its own hostels, food courts, sports stadium and research park. Chennai beyond the gates is a large coastal city with a hot climate for most of the year.
Nearest airport: Chennai International Airport (MAA)
Notable alumni
- SV Sridhar VembuCo-founder of Zoho Corporation; BTech from IIT Madras
- KG Kris GopalakrishnanCo-founder and former executive vice chairman of Infosys; master's degrees in physics and computer science from IIT Madras
- AA Anima AnandkumarMachine learning researcher and Caltech professor; BS from IIT Madras
- AA Anant AgarwalFounder of edX and MIT professor; bachelor's in electrical engineering from IIT Madras (1982)
- VS Vineeta SinghCo-founder of Sugar Cosmetics and investor on Shark Tank India; IIT Madras alumna
- GD Gururaj DeshpandeEntrepreneur behind Sycamore Networks, A123 Systems and Tejas Networks; IIT Madras alumnus
- AR Anand RajaramanCo-founder of Junglee and Kosmix; BTech in computer science from IIT Madras (1993)
Frequently asked questions
How do you get into IIT Madras?
For most programmes, you take JEE (Main), then qualify JEE (Advanced) and choose IIT Madras in JoSAA counselling, where seats go by rank. You also need 75% in Class XII (65% for SC/ST/PwD) or a top-20-percentile board result.
Can international students apply to IIT Madras?
Yes. Foreign nationals register for JEE (Advanced) directly without JEE (Main), and compete for supernumerary seats capped at 10% of each course. DASA does not cover IITs.
What are IIT Madras B.Tech fees?
Under the 2024-batch fee structure (the latest official figures we could read), tuition was ₹1,00,000 per semester for Indian nationals (with full or two-thirds remission for lower-income and reserved-category students) and ₹5,00,000 per semester for foreign nationals. Hostel and mess charges are extra; IIT Madras publishes a separate fee circular for each new batch.
Is the IIT Madras online BS degree the same as the B.Tech?
No. The BS in Data Science and Applications is a separate online programme with in-person exams. Anyone who has passed Class 12 can join via a qualifier, and the full BS costs about ₹3.86–4.5 lakh.
When is JEE Advanced 2027?
The date had not been announced by late September 2026. JEE (Advanced) 2026 was held on 17 May 2026, and the 2027 exam is expected to follow a similar May timetable.
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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