Over 1,300 seats added across five new IITs for 2025–26, says Education Ministry

The Ministry of Education has announced that five third-generation Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will add a total of 1,364 seats for undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the 2025–26 academic session.

These IITs—Bhilai, Dharwad, Jammu, Palakkad, and Tirupati were established after 2014 and are undergoing a phased expansion to increase overall capacity.

The move is part of the government's broader infrastructure development plan, cleared by the Union Cabinet in May this year, under which a total of 6,672 additional seats will be created in these institutions by 2028–29. The total cost of the expansion is ₹11,828.79 crore.

For 2025–26, the seat distribution is as follows:

IIT Bhilai: 378 additional seats

IIT Dharwad: 343 seats

IIT Jammu: 251 seats

IIT Tirupati: 199 seats

IIT Palakkad: 193 seats

As of now, the total student strength across these five institutes is 7,111. By the end of the project timeline, this figure is expected to rise to 13,687.

The expansion also includes the recruitment of 130 new faculty members and the development of academic and research infrastructure, including hostels, research parks, and industry-academia incubation centers.

The aim is to position these newer IITs as full-scale, high-quality institutes comparable to older IITs, in line with the National Education Policy’s emphasis on strengthening India’s research and innovation capabilities.

The five IITs are located in Andhra Pradesh (Tirupati), Chhattisgarh (Bhilai), Jammu & Kashmir (Jammu), Karnataka (Dharwad), and Kerala (Palakkad).

The funding for each institute was also detailed in the ministry's statement:

₹2,053.48 crore for IIT Bhilai

₹2,095.55 crore for IIT Dharwad

₹2,006.63 crore for IIT Jammu

₹2,152.52 crore for IIT Palakkad

₹2,196.61 crore for IIT Tirupati

The plan also highlights a focus on entrepreneurship, with research parks being set up to enhance collaboration between faculty, students, and industry partners.