UPES B.Tech Admissions 2026
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Every year, lakhs of students appear for JEE Advanced with one dream to get into an IIT. For most, that’s the ultimate goal. But here’s a twist you may not have expected. Even top JEE Advanced rankers with ranks under 2000 are skipping as many as 9 IITs.
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Yes, you read that right. Getting into an IIT is no longer the only dream. Today’s students are becoming more selective. They don’t just want the IIT tag; they want the best course at the best college.
According to the JEE Advanced 2025 report, IT Bombay and IIT Delhi secured over 1,300 out of the top 5000 rankers. IIT Bombay itself has 73 students from top 100 students and a total of 755 students out of top 2000. Competing closely, IIT Delhi attracted 577 students. The secret to their success? Global exposure, vibrant campus life, and unbeatable placements.
Besides, a surprising trend is revealed while evaluating that top rankers are saying “no” to new IITs. The list includes IIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Mandi, IIT Jodhpur, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, IIT Bhilai, IIT Goa, IIT Palakkad, IIT Jammu, and IIT Dharwad.
Other IITs like IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, and IIT Kharagpur are also in the race with 478, 448 and 517 students, respectively. These IITs have a legacy of excellence but they attract less students compared to IIT Delhi and Bombay. Alongside, some new IITs are slowly getting visibility because of their focus on innovation, research, and regional influence. Those emerging IITs are listed below
The Emerging IITs:
IIT Hyderabad – 222 students
IIT Guwahati – 305 students
IIT (BHU) Varanasi – 258 students
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IIT | Seats Taken |
IIT Bombay | 414 |
IIT Delhi | 303 |
IIT Madras | 265 |
IIT Kanpur | 234 |
IIT Kharagpur | 225 |
IIT Roorkee | 187 |
IIT Guwahati | 167 |
IIT Hyderabad | 99 |
Other new IITs | Very few/almost none |
Clearly, the top rankers are clustering around a few IITs, while many new ones are left almost empty.
On closing checking the data, the situation becomes even clearer. Out of the top 5000 rankers, only 200 students chose the nine IITs. Here’s is the number of students opted from top 5000 JEE advanced rank holders.
IIT | Students from Top 5000 |
IIT Jodhpur | 63 |
IIT Mandi | 60 |
IIT Bhubaneswar | 43 |
IIT Tirupati | 14 |
IIT Jammu | 4 |
IIT Goa | 3 |
IIT Bhilai | 2 |
IIT Dharwad | 1 |
IIT Palakkad | 1 |
This makes one thing clear that reputation still matters a lot. Students are not ready to compromise, even if it means skipping an IIT altogether.
So why are top rankers rushing towards Bombay, Delhi, Madras, and a few others? Here are the main reasons:
Peer Pressure: For years, IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi have been the first choices of top JEE rank holders. This year also the trend follows with 73 out of 100 top ranks opting for IIT Bombay.
Better Placements: IIT Bombay, Delhi, and Madras have proved their worth by continuously placing elite students to big firms not only in India but abroad too. This excites both students and parents.
Experienced Faculty & Labs: The older IITs have strong faculty, advanced labs, and excellent research facilities. This makes them far more appealing than the newer ones.
Ranked #43 among Engineering colleges in India by NIRF | Get Upto 100% Scholarships | Spot Admissions via CUET
Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026
Today, the IIT tag alone isn’t enough. Students and parents also compare research opportunities, faculty strength, placement records, campus culture and reputation (perception in the industry) to finalise the best suited college.
On Question asked by student community
Hey there,
Yes, you can pursue Class 12 with PCM through NIOS after passing PCB in 2025, but your eligibility for entrance exams depends on the exam rules. For JEE Main , NIOS is accepted, but JEE Advanced eligibility is generally based on the year you first passed Class 12,
With this rank, some good options include:
1. CBIT (unlikely)
2. VNR VJIET (unlikely)
3. Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology (possible in later rounds for some branches)
4. CMR Technical Campus
5. Malla Reddy Engineering Colleges
6. CVR College of Engineering (depending on category/branch)
7. Vardhaman College of
Hello Dear Student,
To shortlist courses and colleges on Careers360 for CSAB using your ranks (JEE Main 38k, JEE Advanced 18,814, KCET 1,049), use the JEE Main College Predictor, filter by your category and home state, and review past NIT/IIIT/GFTI vacancy trends.
You can check, find and access more information
Hello Dear Student,
With 190 marks in JEE Advanced, getting a Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) branch in top or older IITs is generally not possible for general category students, but you may get CSE in some newer or lower-generation IITs (like IIT Ropar or similar newer peers) or good
Hello Aspirant,
Admission to the IIT Preparatory Course depends on several factors such as category-wise seat availability, number of candidates opting for the preparatory programme and counselling trends for the particular year. With an SC Preparatory Rank of 4721, securing a seat may be difficult in highly preferred IITs, but
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