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NIRF 2025: #1 Overall
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
India's top-ranked institution, with a campus that is also a forest.
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu
- Established 1959
- Engineering
1959Founded
#1 OverallNIRF 2025
ChennaiTamil Nadu
Institute of National ImportanceStatus
CampusAbout 250 hectares, next to Guindy National Park
Overview
About IIT Madras
IIT Madras is a public technical university in Chennai and the No. 1 institution in India's National Institutional Ranking Framework. It is known for its engineering and research programmes, a deep startup ecosystem, and an online BS degree that anyone who has passed Class 12 can apply for.
IIT Madras was set up in 1959 with technical and financial help from the then West German government, and was declared an Institute of National Importance by an Act of Parliament. Today it is the institution every ranking table starts with: in NIRF 2025 it was placed first overall for the seventh consecutive year, and first among engineering institutions.
The campus in south Chennai is famous for being green. It sits beside Guindy National Park, and blackbuck and spotted deer walk past the hostels. That calm setting hides a very busy place. The IIT Madras Research Park and the Incubation Cell have helped launch hundreds of startups, and the institute runs one of the largest sponsored-research portfolios of any Indian university.
For learners who cannot move to Chennai, IIT Madras is unusually open. Its BS degree programmes in Data Science and Applications and in Electronic Systems are taught online, with in-person exams, and admission does not go through JEE. If "learn from home" is your goal, this is one of the few top-ranked degrees designed for it.
Known for
EngineeringResearch parks & startupsOnline BS degreesGreen campusShaastra tech festSaarang cultural fest
NIRF 2025: #1 Overall. Ranked first in the NIRF Overall category for the seventh year running in 2025, and first in Engineering.
Programmes
Courses offered and how to get in
The main programmes and the entrance route for each. Seats, fees and cut-offs change every year, so confirm them on the official website.
ProgrammeLevelAdmission via
B.Tech / Dual DegreeUndergraduateJEE Advanced, then JoSAA counselling
BS in Data Science and ApplicationsUndergraduate, onlineIIT Madras qualifier process, open to Class 12 pass
BS in Electronic SystemsUndergraduate, onlineIIT Madras qualifier process
M.TechPostgraduateGATE
M.ScPostgraduateIIT JAM
MBAPostgraduateCAT
Ph.D / MS by ResearchDoctoralInstitute selection process
Admissions
The admission process, step by step
1
Pick the programme
Decide between the campus B.Tech (via JEE) and the online BS degrees, which have their own qualifier.
2
Clear the entrance
JEE Main, then JEE Advanced for B.Tech. GATE, JAM or CAT for postgraduate courses.
3
Counselling
B.Tech seats are allotted through JoSAA. Postgraduate offers come from the institute.
4
Check official dates
Every deadline and eligibility rule is published on iitm.ac.in. Always confirm there.
Campus life
Life at IIT Madras
Two festivals define the year: Shaastra, one of the biggest student-run technical festivals in the country, and Saarang, its cultural counterpart. Hostels are named after Indian rivers, and most students cycle across a campus large enough to need it.
Photos on this page are illustrative and do not show the actual campus.
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FAQ
Questions about IIT Madras
Yes, through the online BS degree programmes in Data Science and Applications or Electronic Systems. They have their own qualifier process and are open to students who have passed Class 12. The campus B.Tech still requires JEE Advanced.
First in the NIRF 2025 Overall ranking and first in Engineering. It has topped the Overall list every year since 2019.
In south Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on a large wooded campus next to Guindy National Park.
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Compiled from public sources including the NIRF 2025 rankings and IIT Madras's official website. DigitalCollegee is not affiliated with Indian Institute of Technology Madras.