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IIT: Indian Institute of Technology

Updated on September 14, 2026Author:NEXT IAS Contributors
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The full form of IIT is Indian Institute of Technology (इंडियन इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ टेक्नोलॉजी). They are autonomous institutes declared the Institutions of National Importance under Institutes of Technology Act 1961. IIT colleges provide various technical engineering courses for graduation, masters and phd as well. In order to enroll or take admission in IIT colleges, you must have studied science streams such as Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in class 12th and must have qualified the entrance exam of JEE Mains and JEE Advanced. For a graduate science course, you must have an undergraduate degree and IIT JAM qualification. The specific marks, subjects and other desirable requirements may vary by various IITs and their programmes. For pursuing a postgraduate engineering course, you must have completed the undergraduate degree and need a valid GATE score.

Top 5 Engineering Branches in 2026

S.No. Engineering branch Career scope in India Average annual package in India
1 Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)
  • It includes software engineering, IT services, product companies, fintech and technology start-ups.
Rs. 9 to 14 lakh
2 Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Science
  • It includes AI engineering, data science, automation, research and business analytics.
Rs. 8 to 13 lakh
3 Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE)
  • It includes semiconductor design, telecommunications, embedded systems, defence electronics and chip manufacturing.
Rs. 6 to 9 lakh
4 Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE)
  • It includes the power generation, transmission, renewable energy, Electric Vehicles or EVs, automation and public sector enterprises.
Rs. 5.5 to 8 lakh
5 Mechanical Engineering
  • It includes automobiles, aerospace, defence manufacturing, robotics, production and industrial automation.
Rs. 5 to 9 lakh

How many IITs are there in India?

There are a total of 23 Indian Institutes of Technology in India. The list of all the IITs are mentioned below with their states and the foundation year.

S.No. Indian Institutes of Technology Location in India Foundation Year
1 IIT Kharagpur Kharagpur, West Bengal 1951
2 IIT Bombay Mumbai, Maharashtra 1958
3 IIT Madras Chennai, Tamil Nadu 1959
4 IIT Kanpur Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 1959
5 IIT Delhi New Delhi, Delhi 1961
6 IIT Guwahati Guwahati, Assam 1994
7 IIT Roorkee Roorkee, Uttarakhand
  • 1847
  • Received IIT status in 2002
8 IIT Hyderabad Hyderabad, Telangana 2008
9 IIT Patna Patna, Bihar 2008
10 IIT Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar, Odisha 2008
11 IIT Ropar Rupnagar, Punjab 2008
12 IIT Jodhpur Jodhpur, Rajasthan 2008
13 IIT Gandhinagar Gandhinagar, Gujarat 2008
14 IIT Indore Indore, Madhya Pradesh 2009
15 IIT Mandi Mandi, Himachal Pradesh 2009
16 IIT (BHU) Varanasi Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
  • 1919
  • Received IIT status in 2012
17 IIT Tirupati Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh 2015
18 IIT Palakkad Palakkad, Kerala 2015
19 IIT Goa Ponda, Goa 2016
20 IIT Jammu Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir 2016
21 IIT Dharwad Dharwad, Karnataka 2016
22 IIT Bhilai Bhilai, Chhattisgarh 2016
23 IIT (ISM) Dhanbad Dhanbad, Jharkhand
  • 1926
  • Received IIT status in 2016

Founder of Indian Institute of Technology

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has no single or individual founder. The idea of a world level higher institution emerged from the recommendations of the Sarkar Committee also known as the Committee for the Development of Higher Technological Institutions. The Indian government in 1945 appointed the committee under the chairmanship of Nalini Ranjan Sarkar. It examined the need for advanced technical institutions which can support industrial development. Sir Ardeshir Dalal also promoted the idea of forming higher technical institutes in India.

As a result, the first IIT was established at Kharagpur in West Bengal in 1951. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the institute and described it as a symbol of Indian future. IIT Kaharagpur was initially formed as the higher technical institute and after sometime, it became an IIT.

IIT Organisational Structure

  • The Indian Institute of Technology is an autonomous institution which is governed under the Indian Institute of Technology act, 1961. The President of India is the visitor of all the IITs. The Council of IITs is chaired by the Union Minister of Education. The council advises and promotes coordination in the matters of academic, administrative and research.
  • The Board of Governors is the main governing body at the international level. The board supervises the administration, policy approval, finance management, and institutional development. The Senate handles the academic responsibilities including exams, research standard, curriculum, and degree awards. The Director is the chief executive and academic officer of an IIT in India.
  • The deputy director, dean and heads of all departments (HODs) provide their full support to the Director. The dean primarily supervises academic programmes, student affairs, research, faculty matters, planning and resource management. The departments in an IIT include professors, associate and assistant professors, visiting faculty, researchers and other technical staff. An IIT campus also includes infrastructure required in the college such as administrative offices, laboratories, seminar halls, hostels, libraries, among others.

National Rankings of IITs (2021 to 2025)

S.No. IIT 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021
1 IIT Madras 1 1 1 1 1
2 IIT Delhi 2 2 2 2 2
3 IIT Bombay 3 3 3 3 3
4 IIT Kanpur 4 4 4 4 4
5 IIT Kharagpur 5 5 6 5 5
6 IIT Roorkee 6 6 5 6 6
7 IIT Guwahati 8 7 7 7 7
8 IIT Hyderabad 7 8 8 9 8
9 IIT (BHU) Varanasi 10 10 15 13 13
10 IIT Indore 15 16 14 16 10
11 IIT Gandhinagar 16 18 18 23 35
12 IIT Ropar 19 22 22 22 19
13 IIT Jodhpur 25 28 30 30 -
14 IIT Patna 19 34 41 33 54
15 IIT Bhubaneswar 39 54 47 36 56
16 IIT Mandi 26 31 33 20 41

FAQs about IIT

What is the full form of IIT?

The IIT full form is Indian Institute of Technology.

How many IIT are there in India?

Presently, there are 23 Indian Institutes of Technology in India.

What is IIT JAM?

IIT JAM is the Joint Admission Test for admission in master courses in science programmes in IITs.

Which was the first IIT in India?

IIT Kharagpur was the which was founded in the year 1951.

What courses are offered by IITs?

IITs offer courses such as undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programs in various disciplines like engineering, technology, science, design, architecture, and management.

Which entrance exams are conducted by IIT?

It conducts important entrance exams in India such as JEE Advanced, GATE and IIT JAM.