About the IITs

The IIT system was envisioned by a 22-member committee led by Nalini Ranjan Sarkar in 1946, which recommended the establishment of higher technical institutions for post-war industrial development in India. The first IIT was established at Kharagpur in 1951 in the site of a former detention camp.

Over the following decades, IITs were established across India — Bombay (1958), Madras (1959), Kanpur (1959), and Delhi (1961) formed the original five alongside Kharagpur. Each received support from different countries: MIT and the US government helped IIT Kanpur, the USSR assisted IIT Bombay, Germany aided IIT Madras, and the UK supported IIT Delhi.

The IIT Act of 1961 declared them Institutes of National Importance, granting them autonomy in curriculum design and administration. Today there are 23 IITs, with the newest established in 2016.

Admission to undergraduate programmes at IITs is through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), one of the most competitive exams in the world. Over 1 million candidates sit for JEE every year, with an acceptance rate of roughly 1-2%.

Postgraduate admissions are through GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering), JAM (Joint Admission Test), and CEED (Common Entrance Examination for Design), among others.