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    9 IITs Left Out by JEE Toppers — What’s Driving the Trend?

    9 IITs Left Out by JEE Toppers — What’s Driving the Trend?

    Maniprabha SinghUpdated on 03 Sep 2025, 06:10 PM IST

    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.

    This Story also Contains

    1. JEE Advanced Report- What the Numbers Say?
    2. IIT Seats Taken by Top 2000 Rankers
    3. The 9 IITs Left Behind
    4. Why Do Students Prefer the Old IITs?
    5. What Do Students and Parents Look At?
    9 IITs Left Out by JEE Toppers — What’s Driving the Trend?
    9 IITs Left Out by JEE Toppers — What’s Driving the Trend?

    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.

    JEE Advanced Report- What the Numbers Say?

    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

    IIT Seats Taken by Top 2000 Rankers

    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.

    The 9 IITs Left Behind

    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.

    Why Do Students Prefer the Old IITs?

    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.

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    JEE Advanced Syllabus: Subjects & Chapters
    Select your preferred subject to view the chapters

    What Do Students and Parents Look At?

    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.

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    Questions related to JEE Advanced

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to JEE Advanced ?

    Yes, it is possible to get a top 100 rank in JEE Advanced in one year (Class 12)—but it’s extremely difficult. It requires near-perfect execution, strong basics, and consistency for the entire year. Most rankers at that level usually prepare for 2+ years, so you’ll need to work smarter +

    Hi Anupam,

    You can follow these steps:

    • NIOS Enrollment: Register for NIOS 2027 exams and use Transfer of Credit (TOC) to boost your aggregate score.

    • JEE 2027: Use the new NIOS marksheet for JoSAA counseling.

    • Alternative: Qualify via the Top 20 Percentile rule of your board if 75% is not

    Hello student,

    Kindly go through the article to understand what a safe percentile is in JEE Main 2026 to qualify for JEE Advanced.

    Link  - JEE Main 2026 Advanced Qualifying Percentile

    Hope this will be helpful!