Want to study in IIT? Here’s how to get admission without clearing JEE Advanced

The entrance exam for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is considered one of the toughest entrance tests in the country. As per the rules, one has to be among the top 2.5 lakh scorers of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main and then crack the JEE Advanced. However, there is another unique way of getting admission to IITs.

From class 12 pass students to those having undergraduate degrees to students already enrolled in a BE to BTech course, those who want to study something beyond BTech and have an interest in design or humanities – there is a way to get admission in IITs for all these students and none of them requires to clear JEE. Here’s how:

UCEED: Students aiming to study at IITs can also apply through an undergraduate common entrance exam for design commonly known as UCEED. Applicant must have passed class 12 to be eligible to apply. Those who pass the UCEED are qualified for admission to BDes courses at IITs and other institutes. The exam is divided into two parts where the second part consists of the drawing section. Those who wish to apply for the postgraduate (PG) course will have to clear CEED.

HSSEE: IITs also offer admission to five-year integrated Master of Arts (MA) programmes through Humanities and Social Sciences Entrance Examination (HSSEE). The first two years of the curriculum are common to all the students after which they branch out into the two streams. Allocation of streams will be based on students’ preferences, their academic performance during the first three semesters, and the availability of seats under each stream.

GATE: Those who miss the chance of taking admission to IITs at the undergraduate (UG) level also have an entrance exam at a PG level called Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). Candidates who clear the exam will be eligible to apply for MTech courses as well as be eligible for a job in public sector undertakings (PSUs). The GATE is a specialised exam and has a different paper for different subjects of specialisation. Humanities students can also apply for the same.

CAT: Most of the IITs have moved beyond offering just engineering-based courses and are moving towards becoming multidisciplinary institutes. Thus, students who wish to study at IITs and not just study engineering but the business aspect or consider developing a start-up can also get admission to various courses through their management schools or departments. While each IIT has its own criteria for admission to management school, those who clear CAT are usually shortlisted for interviews and further rounds.

UGC-NET: Research is an integral part of education at IITs. Those interested in research can apply with a specific professor and give their proposal to them. Candidates having innovative ideas as well as those having cleared the UGC NET programme or any other research exam are also eligible to apply for research programmes at IITs.

IIT JAM: Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM) is a common entrance exam held for admission to IITs and IISc Bangalore. Those who clear the exam are eligible for admission to MSc, masters in economics, Joint MSc-PhD, MSc-PhD dual degree, and other postgraduate level degree programmes as well as integrated PhD courses.

Already an engineering student: IITs have collaborations with NITs where students can study at an IIT as part of their final year. For instance, IIT-Delhi has tie-ups with NIT Srinagar, Warangal etc where a student who has scored a CGPA of 8.00 at the end of their sixth semester, will be eligible to apply for a project in summer or winter and complete their fourth year at IIT-Delhi. These students can directly take admission to PhD after completing their research, based on merit.

Online courses: IITs offer online certificates and degrees to students not only through their online platform National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) which is open to students enrolled in any university or college, IITians, working professionals any curious mind but also through the first-ever online degree offered by IIT-Madras.  The course has no age limit and students who have passed class 12 can also take it up.  After completing class 12, students will have to pursue a foundation course while those who have a college-level degree can directly enrol at the diploma level. It comes with multiple entry and exit options. One gets a degree from IIT-Madras after completing the entire course.