IIT Madras BS in Data Science Completion vs Dropout Trends: What Numbers Tell?

Admission Process and Enrollment Trends

Admission to IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications starts with a national-level application and qualifier examination for the Foundation level. Candidates who cleared the qualifier exam are invited to join the programme, with most completing the Foundation stage before advancing to another level.

Enrollment trends of IIT Madras BS Data Science and Applications programme show fluctuations over terms, with highest numbers in Jan 2021 (7,116 students), May 2023 (7,019 students), and May 2024 (10,309 students).

The latest term, Jan 2025, witnessed 1,381 students start the programme, marking a dip compared to earlier intakes. Currently, 38,534 students remain active, accounting for 73% of those who started the programme.

Term-wise Applications, Qualification, and Enrollment Rate

What the data Shows:

1. About 37.4% or 63,143 students qualified for admission to the Foundation level,
2. About 30.9% of total applicants (52,144 students of the 168740 applicants) started the programme. This is also 82.5% enrollment from offers.

Student Demographics

The IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications programme attracts a wide range of students, regardless of their gender, age, and income.

Gender Distribution

In the IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications programme, most of the students are male, making up about 72.7% of the total, whereas female students account for 27.3%. The numbers show that while men are still in majority, the women's representation is remarkably higher when you compare it with the share in an engineering program.

Age Group Distribution

As we can see, most students in the IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications programme are 15–20 years (18,143 students). The data also shows the programme is not only popular among school graduates and early-career learners but also among people aged 50-60 years (247 students). The most astonishing data is the 36 learners who are aged 60+ but have decided to pursue a degree program even at that age proving that learning truly has no age limit.

Family Income Distribution

The IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications programme is open to all students, regardless of their family profile.

The figure above shows income distribution and students’ count, corresponding to the 38,534 active students in the programme, where 26.4% students come from below Rs 1 lakh family income background.

Student Enrollment Distribution

Students from different backgrounds enrol in the IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications.

• Dual Degree Students – Those who enrolled in another college degree while pursuing the IITM Data Science programme.
• Standalone Students – Those who enrolled only in this programme.
• Working Professionals – Learners who are employed and enrolled in this programme to upgrade their skills.
• Others – Career changers or other learners.

Student Types by Programme Level

With 38,534 active learners in the IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications, the funnel narrows down as you move at each level. Foundation Level had 24,616, followed by diploma stage at 12,781 students and degree level being just 1137 students.

Of all the students, those seeking dual degrees were the maximum at 18061, which is 47% of all candidates. The students pursuing the program on a stand alone basis are 10,483 which is 27% of the total cohort. Working professionals at 5570 comprised 14.45% of the cohort size.

Working Professionals

The programme also has a healthy participation from working professionals (5,570) at the Foundation, Diploma and Degree levels.

Progression and Exit Rates: Active Students, Completions

The IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications has four levels and each level provides a different depth of study, with varying completion and exit rates.

Completions and Exits by Program Level

Foundation Level:

The Foundation level is the entry point for the IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications programme. This level has witnessed the highest number of students (24,616) entering the programme, with 14,900 students completing this level.

• Exit: Learners can exit with a Foundation Certificate from Centre for Outreach and Digital Education (CODE), IIT Madras.

Diploma Level (Programming and Data Science)

At the Diploma level, there are 12,781 active students, with 2,094 students completing this level – Diploma in Programming (DP): 440 students completed; Diploma in Data Science (DDS): 831 students completed; Both Diplomas: 823 students completed.

• Exit: 321 students awarded with original certificates who have chosen to exit after completing the Diploma level and not to continue to the BSc or BS levels.

Degree Level (BSc and BS)

The graph shows the progression and dropout trends at the BSc and BS levels:

BSc Degree Level

The BSc Degree level is the third level in the IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications programme. This is the level where students can either exit with a BSc degree or proceed to the BS Degree level. With 752 active students, 507 students completed the BSc degree, representing around 67% completion rate.

• Exit: 165 students chose to exit with the BSc Degree after completing both the Foundation and Diploma levels.

BS Degree Level

This is the final level where students exit with a BS Degree in Data Science and Applications from IIT Madras after completing 142 credits. With 385 active students, 197 students completed this level and earned their BS degree, representing 51% completion rate.

• Exit: 130 students awarded with original certificates after completing the BS Degree level.

Retention, Completion and Dropout Trends

The IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications has a 73% retention rate, with largest exits and attrition occurring between the Foundation and Diploma levels. Approximately 27% of students have chosen to exit before completing all levels, either to pursue jobs, higher studies, or switching to other academic programmes.

The BSc (165 credits awarded) and BS degree (130 credits awarded) completion rates indicate consistent academic progression, totalling 295 degree-level graduates so far.

In essence, the IIT Madras BS in Data Science and Applications programme has shown sustained enrollment over the years, with more than 38,000 students currently active in the programme. The programme’s flexible structure and exit options accommodate different types of learners, including school graduates, dual degree pursuing students, working professionals, and career changers. It stands out as a great opportunity for those who could not crack the JEE exam system and still aspire to be an alumni of an IIT institution.