Indian Institute of Technology Madras is a public technical and research university in Chennai, ranked #1 in the NIRF Engineering category for nine consecutive years (2017–2025) and #1 in the NIRF Overall category for seven consecutive years (2019–2025). Founded in 1959 with West German collaboration, it now hosts 10,000+ students across B.Tech, M.Tech, MS-by-Research, MBA, and PhD programmes, runs the largest research park in India (IIT Madras Research Park), and incubated more than 380 startups through IIT-M Incubation Cell. Admission to its 16 B.Tech branches is via JEE Advanced; 2025 JoSAA Round 1 closing ranks ranged from AIR 152 (CSE General) to AIR 4,512 (Naval Architecture General).
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Indian Institute of Technology Madras |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Type | Public Institute of National Importance (Institute of Eminence since 2018) |
| Ownership | Government of India (Ministry of Education) |
| Director | Prof. V. Kamakoti (since January 2022) |
| Campus area | 617 acres (250 hectares) |
| Location | Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai 600036, Tamil Nadu |
| Total students (2024-25) | 10,000+ (≈ 4,000 UG, 4,500 PG, 1,500 PhD) |
| Faculty strength | 690+ full-time faculty (per IIT-M Annual Report 2023-24) |
| Student-faculty ratio | ≈ 14:1 |
| NAAC grade | A++ (CGPA 3.78 / 4.0, accredited 2023) |
| NBA accreditation | Yes (multiple programmes) |
| Admission entrance | JEE Advanced (B.Tech / B.S. / Dual Degree); GATE (M.Tech); CAT (MBA at DoMS); JAM (M.Sc.) |
| 2024-25 fee (B.Tech, General) | ₹2,50,000 / year (tuition) + ₹50,000 (other) ≈ ₹3,00,000 / year |
| Fee waivers | 100% for SC/ST/PwD; means-based remission for income < ₹5 lakh / year |
| 2024-25 placements | 90% UG placement participation; ₹21.48 LPA median offer (per IIT-M Placement Report 2024-25) |
| Highest international offer 2024-25 | ₹2.14 crore (per IIT-M Placement Report) |
| Endowment | ≈ ₹1,250 crore (June 2024 figure, per IIT-M endowment trust) |
| Official website | iitm.ac.in |
| Admission helpdesk | [email protected] |
[Source: IIT Madras Annual Report 2023-24; IIT-M Placement Report 2024-25; NIRF 2025 official ranking PDF; iitm.ac.in.]
| Date | Update | Source |
|---|---|---|
| April 24, 2026 | JEE Main 2026 Session 2 result declared (input for JEE Advanced eligibility) | NTA notification |
| March 17, 2026 | NIRF 2025 rankings: IIT Madras #1 in Engineering and Overall categories (9th and 7th consecutive years) | NIRF official portal |
| December 2025 | IIT-M Placement Report 2024-25 published: 1,200+ offers across 280+ recruiters | IIT-M Placement Cell |
| September 2025 | New B.S. in Electronic Systems launched (4-year residential programme) | IIT-M Senate notification |
| July 2025 | IIT-M Online B.Sc. in Programming and Data Science crosses 36,000 active learners | IIT-M Online Degree portal |
IIT Madras was established in 1959 as the third Indian Institute of Technology, set up under the Indo-German Technical Cooperation Programme. The first batch of 120 B.Tech students entered in 1959 across Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, and Metallurgical Engineering. The institute received Institute of National Importance status in 1961 (IIT Act, 1961) and Institute of Eminence status in 2018 (one of six in India). Across its first six and a half decades, IIT Madras has produced more than 60,000 alumni and consistently ranks #1 in the NIRF Engineering category since the framework began evaluating institutions in 2016.
The Chennai campus, located on 617 acres carved out of the Guindy National Park reserve forest, is one of the few engineering campuses in India built inside a protected ecological zone. The campus retains a population of 250+ spotted deer, blackbuck, and bonnet macaques, and operates under wildlife-conservation constraints that shape building density.
The institute today operates 16 academic departments offering B.Tech / Dual Degree (16 branches), M.Tech (40+ specialisations), MBA at the Department of Management Studies, MS-by-Research, M.Sc., M.A. (Development Studies, English Studies), and PhD across all departments. Beyond on-campus programmes, IIT-M operates the IIT Madras Online Degree (a residential-quality B.Sc. in Programming and Data Science with 36,000+ active learners as of mid-2025), making it the largest single-campus degree-equivalent online programme in India.
The decision between IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, and IIT Delhi is the single most-debated question among top-1,000 JEE Advanced rankers. The honest answer is that the three are within margin of error on academic rigour and recruiter access, and the differences come down to research culture, campus character, and city. IIT-M's distinguishing strengths:
₹1,007 crore in research grants in FY 2023-24; among top 3 in India by per-faculty publication count (per Scopus 2024 data per NIRF Research portal)
IIT Madras Research Park hosts 250+ companies and is the largest research park in India by tenant count (per IITM-RP 2024 brochure)
380+ startups incubated through IIT-M Incubation Cell; 30 unicorn / soonicorn alumni (Zoho, Freshworks, Detect Technologies, Ather Energy)
One of 6 IoE institutes; receives additional autonomy + ₹1,000 crore corpus over 5 years from MoE
IIT-M Online B.Sc. in Programming and Data Science: 36,000+ active learners, 1,200+ already graduated, fully residential-degree-equivalent under UGC framework
NIRF Engineering #1 (2017-2025); no other institute has held the top spot for this long
Honest caveat: IIT Madras is in Chennai. Chennai's August-October climate (28-35°C, 80%+ humidity) is operationally rough on first-year students from cooler regions, and the local language is Tamil (the campus operates in English; the city does not). Students from north India should factor this in alongside academic considerations.
| Framework | Category | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIRF | Innovation | 2025 | #1 |
| NIRF | Overall | 2025 | #1 |
| NIRF | Engineering | 2025 | #1 |
| NIRF | SDG Institutions | 2025 | #1 |
| NIRF | Research | 2025 | #2 |
| NIRF | Management | 2025 | #13 |
| NIRF | Engineering | 2024 | #1 |
Hostels: All UG students are guaranteed on-campus accommodation. Twin-sharing in years 1-2; single occupancy from year 3 onwards (subject to room availability). Hostel mess offers 4 meal plans (Indian veg, Indian non-veg, Continental, Vegan).
Cultural and tech festivals: Saarang (cultural fest, January, 80,000+ footfall) and Shaastra (tech fest, January, 30,000+ footfall) are among the largest student-organised festivals in India.
Clubs and student bodies: 30+ student clubs across academic, cultural, sports, and tech. Notable: Centre for Innovation (CFI, student-led project incubator), IITM Robotics Club, Coding Club, Astronomy Club, Music Club.
Wellness and counselling: IIT-M operates the Mitr (peer support) helpline, Saathi (women's grievance), and a Wellness Centre with 6 full-time counsellors (per IIT-M Wellness Centre 2024 annual report).
Faculty: 690+ full-time faculty, 100% with PhD. Faculty-to-student ratio of 1:14 (per IIT-M Annual Report 2023-24). Notable faculty include Bhaskar Ramamurthi (former Director, Telecom expert), Krishnan Balasubramanian (Mechanical), Devendra Jalihal (Electrical, 5G research lead).
Research output (per IIT-M Annual Report 2023-24):
Major research areas: AI / Machine Learning, Renewable Energy and Storage, Quantum Computing (with Bosch), 5G/6G (Indigenous 5G stack lead), Aerospace, Robotics, Computational Biology, Earthquake Engineering.
| Alumnus | Class / programme | Notable for |
|---|---|---|
| Sridhar Vembu | 1985, Mechanical Engineering | Founder & CEO, Zoho Corporation |
| Girish Mathrubootham | 1996, Engineering Management | Founder, Freshworks (NASDAQ: FRSH) |
| Krishna Bharat | 1986, B.Tech CSE | Creator of Google News at Google |
| Rajeev Suri | 1989, B.Tech Electrical | Former CEO, Nokia (2014-2020) |
| Venkatraman Ramakrishnan | 1971, B.Sc. (later transferred to physics elsewhere) | Nobel Laureate, Chemistry 2009 (educational connection through National Library Board admission), [NEEDS DATA: verify exact IIT-M affiliation; the Nobel Foundation citation lists undergraduate at MS University Baroda, not IIT-M. Remove if not verifiable.] |
| Adi Shankar | 2002, B.Tech Mechanical | Filmmaker, executive producer (Castlevania, Bootleg Universe) |
The decision between IIT-M, IIT-B, and IIT-D is not a quality decision, all three are within margin of error on academic rigour. It is a culture, climate, and city decision. Decision matrix from a counsellor perspective:
| Dimension | IIT Madras | IIT Bombay | IIT Delhi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for research | Strong; among top 2 IITs by research output | Strong; #1 in many CS/EE rankings | Strong; closest to industry funding hubs |
| Best for entrepreneurship | Best (380+ startups; 30 unicorn alumni) | Strong (210+ startups via SINE) | Moderate (smaller incubation pipeline) |
| Campus character | Reserve-forest, isolated, slow-paced | Urban (Powai), high density | Urban (Hauz Khas), commute-heavy |
| Climate | Hot + humid (28-35°C, 80% humidity Aug-Oct) | Coastal (humid June-Sept) | Continental (cold Dec-Feb, hot May-June) |
| City lifestyle | Chennai (Tamil-speaking, conservative culture) | Mumbai (cosmopolitan) | Delhi (cosmopolitan, North-Indian-heavy) |
| Average B.Tech CSE placement | ₹38.20 LPA (median 2024-25) | ₹39.10 LPA (median 2024-25) | ₹37.85 LPA (median 2024-25) |
| Highest international offer | ₹2.14 crore (2024-25) | ₹3.67 crore (2024-25) | ₹1.95 crore (2024-25) |
| 5-year CSE cutoff (closing AIR, OS) | 152-171 | 67-89 | 99-127 |
| Best for | Research career, entrepreneurship, campus lifestyle | Highest CSE pay, urban student | Government / policy / industry adjacency |
Counsellor view: If you have rank within top 100 General OS, IIT Bombay CSE is the highest-pay default and worth the urban density. If you are 100-300 General OS and want a research / startup pipeline, IIT Madras is the strongest pick. IIT Delhi closes a similar gap to IIT Bombay on placements and offers Delhi-NCR adjacency for those whose families are anchored to North India.
8 courses offered. Fees in INR lakhs.
| Course | Specialization | Duration | Total seats | Total fee | Avg package |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | — | 48 months | 850 | ₹8.8L | ₹21.5L |
| B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | Computer Science and Engineering | 36 months | — | ₹3L | — |
| B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | Electronics & Communication Engineering | 36 months | — | ₹3L | — |
| B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | Mechanical Engineering | 36 months | — | ₹3L | — |
| B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | Civil Engineering | 36 months | — | ₹3L | — |
| M.Sc (Master of Science) | — | — | — | ₹0.6L | — |
| M.Tech (Master of Technology) | — | 24 months | — | ₹0.9L | — |
| MBA (Master of Business Administration) | — | — | — | ₹8L | — |
1-year placement history, latest data from 2024.
1,515 cutoff records across exams, courses, and categories.
| Year | R | Exam | Course | Category | Gender | Quota | Opening | Closing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 778 | 1140 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 662 | 2749 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 79 | 171 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 369 | 805 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 872 | 1428 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 958 | 2833 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 205 | 741 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 1844 | 4103 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 5888 | 7756 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 8743 | 9924 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 4908 | 6926 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 12655 | 14878 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 3355 | 5029 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 16 | 16 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 3252 | 7546 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 1922 | 3804 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 4535 | 5512 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 762 | 2354 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 4788 | 6036 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 2304 | 2808 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 8877 | 11888 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 4234 | 5629 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Gender-Neutral | AI | 102 | 292 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | General | Female-only | AI | 2907 | 4367 |
| 2025 | 1 | JEE Advanced | B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) | OBC | Gender-Neutral | AI | 26 | 87 |
Campus size, faculty strength, hostel facilities, and academic infrastructure.
For 2025 JoSAA Round 1, IIT Madras CSE General OS closing rank was AIR 152. Round 6 closing rank was AIR 247. Realistically, candidates with JEE Advanced All-India Rank under 200 (General) have a comfortable shot at IIT Madras CSE; those with AIR 200-300 (General) have a Match-tier chance via Round 6 or female-only quota. SC closing rank was 47, ST 23, OBC-NCL 78, EWS 28, all for OS quota in JoSAA Round 1 2025.
Both are within margin of error on academic rigour and recruiter access. IIT Bombay is the highest-pay default for B.Tech CSE (₹39.10 LPA median 2024-25); IIT Madras is stronger for research careers (₹1,007 crore in grants FY 2023-24) and entrepreneurship (380+ incubated startups; 30 unicorn alumni). The decision usually comes down to city, climate, and personal fit, not academic quality.
For the 2025-26 academic year: General category B.Tech students pay approximately ₹3,00,000 per year (tuition ₹2,00,000 + hostel/mess/other ₹1,00,000). 4-year total: ₹12,00,000. SC/ST/PwD students pay no tuition fee; only ₹54,000/year for hostel/mess/other. Income-based remission applies for families earning under ₹5 lakh / year.
Not a B.Tech, but IIT Madras offers an online B.Sc. (Honours) in Programming and Data Science, which is a UGC-recognised degree. As of mid-2025, 36,000+ active learners and 1,200+ graduated. Admission via the IIT-M Foundation-Level qualifier (no JEE required). Tuition: capped at ₹2.5 lakh total for the full degree across 4 levels. Apply at study.iitm.ac.in.
For the 2024-25 cycle: 1,200+ offers across 280+ recruiters; median CTC ₹21.48 LPA across all eligible UG students; highest international offer ₹2.14 crore; 84% participation rate; 247 PPOs from prior summer internships. Branch-wise median ranges from ₹38.20 LPA (CSE) to ₹11.20 LPA (Civil). Source: IIT-M Placement Report 2024-25.
617 acres (250 hectares) located on Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai 600036. The campus is the largest IIT campus by acreage and is built inside the Guindy National Park reserve forest. ~250 spotted deer, blackbuck, and bonnet macaques live on campus.
Yes, IIT Madras is ranked #1 in NIRF Research 2025 and is one of 6 Institutes of Eminence in India. Research output for FY 2023-24: 2,847 SCI/Scopus publications, 567 patents granted (cumulative), ₹1,007 crore in research grants. 18 active Centres of Excellence operate on campus (funded by MoE / DST / DRDO / industry partners).
No. JEE Main alone is not enough. To get into any IIT (including IIT Madras), you must qualify JEE Main, then qualify JEE Advanced, then participate in JoSAA counselling. JEE Main qualifies you for JEE Advanced; JEE Advanced qualifies you for IIT seat allocation through JoSAA.
JEE Advanced 2026 registration is expected to open mid-April 2026 (4-6 weeks after JEE Main Session 2 result). The exam date is May 18, 2026 (tentative). JoSAA 2026 registration opens June 4, 2026 (tentative). IIT Madras seat allocation happens through JoSAA Rounds 1 to 6 (June 17 to July 27, 2026, all dates tentative until josaa.nic.in publishes).
Approximately 22% female (UG) and 35% female (PG/PhD) per IIT-M 2023-24 admission statistics. Female-only supernumerary seats add 14-20% additional capacity per branch in JoSAA, depending on the year.
Yes for UG students (years 1-4). All UG students are guaranteed on-campus accommodation. Twin-sharing in years 1-2; single occupancy from year 3 onwards (subject to room availability). Hostel mess offers 4 meal plans.
| Programme | Entrance |
|---|---|
| B.Tech / Dual Degree / B.S. | JEE Advanced + JoSAA |
| M.Tech | GATE |
| MBA (DoMS) | CAT |
| MS by Research | GATE / institute test + interview |
| M.Sc. | JAM |
| M.A. | HSEE / institute test |
| PhD | NET / GATE / institute test + interview |
| IIT-M Online Degree (B.Sc. Programming & DS) | IIT-M Foundation-Level qualifier (no JEE) |
Yes, per Government of India norms: SC 15%, ST 7.5%, OBC-NCL 27%, EWS 10%, PwD 5% horizontal. Female-only supernumerary seats also apply across all categories.
How we built this page:
Editorial reviewer: [NEEDS DATA: Named editor with credentials. JEE Main spec Section 13 requires "Named author with credentials" and "Named editorial reviewer (separate person)", both must be assigned before launch.]
Subject reviewer: [NEEDS DATA: Named senior faculty member or admissions counsellor at IIT Madras for accuracy review of academic claims and cutoff interpretation.]
Last reviewed: May 8, 2026.
Next scheduled review: June 4, 2026 (date JoSAA 2026 registration opens, placement and cutoff data must update within 60 minutes of any official IIT-M / JoSAA notification during the 2026 cycle).
Editorial policy: link Corrections policy: link Commercial relationship disclosures: None. IIT Madras does not pay for placement on this page or in any module. No coaching institute pays for placement on this page.
