Why most JEE toppers prefer IIT-Bombay to Madras-IIT

Despite topping the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings, IIT-Madras is struggling to attract top JEE rankers. This year, only 80 of the top 500 chose Madras, while IIT-Bombay took the lion’s share — including 9 out of the top 10 and 73 of the top 100.

To bridge this widening gap, IIT-Madras has initiated campus tours and city outreach, but the appeal of IIT Bombay remains hard to match.

Changing student preferences

IIT-Madras has been a leading institution in engineering and technology education for over six decades. But in the evolving landscape of education, student choices are driven by more than just academic rankings.

Career consultant Jay Prakash Gandhi said, “Though IIT-Chennai stands at the top in the NIRF ranking, there are a lot of advantages students feel with IIT-Bombay — connectivity with top institutions, alumni support, learning beyond the syllabus, and updated content.”

He added, “Comparatively, the edge is definitely on the Bombay side.”

Why Bombay leads

IIT-Bombay benefits immensely from its location in Mumbai — India’s financial capital and a cosmopolitan hub. The city's vibrant atmosphere, industry presence, and global connections create an ecosystem that students find attractive.

“IIT-Bombay has a very friendly culture,” Gandhi observed. “Even Kanpur is very friendly. Faculty will come and help them with anything. But in Chennai, the ecosystem is not very good for students.”

Another key factor is alumni support. Gandhi noted, “IIT-Bombay recently collected $16.4 billion in venture capital funding from alumni. Comparatively, Madras lags behind, even behind Delhi and Kanpur.”

Gaps in the south

While southern students still lean towards IIT-Madras for proximity and cultural reasons, the shift in national preferences is apparent. The allure of international exposure, venture capital access, and a diverse career ecosystem makes IIT-Bombay the clear winner.

“The culture and ecosystem is completely different from what we have in Chennai,” Gandhi emphasized.

What IIT-Madras is doing

IIT-Madras has taken steps to reverse the trend. It is conducting virtual alumni interactions, enhancing outreach, and trying to build a more inclusive campus culture.

The institute did not respond to The Federal’s queries about these developments.

However, experts suggest that IIT-M can regain ground by strengthening industry partnerships, improving internship access, and showcasing its own success stories.

The institute already boasts illustrious alumni like Kris Gopalakrishnan, Shridhar Bembu, and Vineeta Singh — examples that could be leveraged better.

Looking ahead

As students increasingly prioritise networking, global exposure, and campus life over rankings alone, IIT Madras will need to innovate and adapt. Can it close the gap with Bombay? Only time will tell.

The content above has been generated using a fine-tuned AI model. To ensure accuracy, quality, and editorial integrity, we employ a Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) process. While AI assists in creating the initial draft, our experienced editorial team carefully reviews, edits, and refines the content before publication. At The Federal, we combine the efficiency of AI with the expertise of human editors to deliver reliable and insightful journalism.