What Are the Most Preferred Programs at IIT Madras? - Top Courses & Cutoff Trends

What Are the Most Preferred Programs at IIT Madras? - Top Courses & Cutoff Trends

Team Careers360Updated on 15 Sep 2025, 06:03 PM IST

Which are the Most Preferred Programs at the IIT Madras? - IIT Madras is the top engineering institute in India. The institute has scored NIRF Ranking 1 for the last 10 years. IIT Madras offers a total of 17 programs in the Engineering field. Each Engineering department of IIT Madras saw a rise in 2025, compared to 2024. The students' choice saw a rise from 8 percent to 16 percent for the engineering courses at IIT Madras. For instance, the most preferred course was the 5-Year Aerospace Engineering, which saw a rise of 16.45% with a total of 11,069 choices among students. The B.Tech in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics also saw a significant rise, with 2,692 more students opting for it in 2025. In this article, Careers360 will discuss the most preferred courses with choice numbers at IIT Madras.

This Story also Contains

  1. Student Program Choices at IIT Madras: 2024 vs 2025
  2. Analysis of Student Choices at IIT Madras
  3. IIT Madras Closing Ranks
  4. IIT Madras Application Process
What Are the Most Preferred Programs at IIT Madras? - Top Courses & Cutoff Trends
What Are the Most Preferred Programs at IIT Madras?

Student Program Choices at IIT Madras: 2024 vs 2025

Department

Number of students Opted in 2025

Number of students opted in 2024

5-Year Aerospace Engineering

11,069

9,505

B.Tech in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics

23,015

20,323

4-Year Aerospace Engineering

15848

14165

B.Tech in Physics

10770

9627

Computer Science and Engineering

26547

Aproxx 24,000

Electrical Engineering

22,443

20,000

Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering

Aproxx 18,000

Aproxx 16,588

Biological Engineering

Aproxx 17,000

Aproxx 16,000

Civil Engineering

15,000

Aproxx 14,000

Mechanical Engineering

19,652

Aproxx 17,546

Biological Science

Aproxx 5,675

Aproxx 6,234

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Aproxx 12,000

10,000

5-Year Engineering Design

Aproxx 17,000

Aproxx 16,000

Chemical Engineering

15,000

14,000

Analysis of Student Choices at IIT Madras

There is a significant rise across all the engineering departments of IIT Madras. The 5-Year Aerospace Engineering program witnessed a 16.45% increase. The 4-Year Aerospace Engineering program also rose with 11.8% from 14,165 to 15,848 choices. The other branches, like Computer Science Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, also showed a consistent increment in 2025. Only the branch of Biological Science showed a slight increment of approximately 800 students. This all highlights the preferred choices among the students. This is because of IIT Madras' consistent ranking, growth opportunities, industrial placements, and exposure.

IIT Madras Closing Ranks

To get admission into IIT Madras, a candidate must have a rank between 200 and 7,000, depending on the branch. Candidates seeking admission to Evergreen's engineering branches must have a rank of 200 for CSE, 900 for EE, 300 for AI and Data Science, and 2500 for ME. Candidates should also score at least 75% in their 12th class with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Students should refer to the table below to get an overall idea of the ranks and their chances of admission if they got similar closing ranks. Below are the ranks of the last round in the open category.

Department

Category

Gender

Closing Ranks

Computer Science and Engineering

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

171

Civil Engineering

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

6112

Electrical Engineering

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

849

Mechanical Engineering

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

2468

4-Year Aerospace Engineering

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

3211

Chemical Engineering

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

4116

B.Tech in Physics

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

1441

Biological Engineering

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

5261

B.Tech in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

306

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

5499

Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering

OPEN

Gender-Neutral

7433

IIT Madras Application Process

IIT Madras has a straightforward process. To be eligible, candidates need to have a valid score of JEE Advanced and 75% in their class 12th with PCM. Candidates must upload documents, pay the required application fee, and qualified students are required to participate in counselling and choice filling rounds.

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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Which is the most preferred branch at IIT Madras?
A:

The most preferred branch at IIT Madras is Computer Science and Engineering, with 26547 students opting for it in 2025.

Q: Which B.Tech branch has the highest closing ranks in 2025?
A:

The B.Tech branch, Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, has the highest closing rank of 7433 in 2025.

Q: What percentage of marks do candidates need to score in class 12th?
A:

Students need to score at least 75% marks in their 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

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Questions related to JEE Advanced

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to JEE Advanced ?

Hello,

If you appeared for the NIOS October 2024 exam, your passing year will be 2024 (because NIOS counts the year in which the exam is held).

For JEE Advanced eligibility :
You can appear in JEE Advanced only in the year you pass Class 12 and the following year .

So, since your passing year is 2024 , you are eligible for:

  • JEE Advanced 2024

  • JEE Advanced 2025

You will not be eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 , as it will be your third attempt after passing Class 12.

Hope it helps !

Hey,

If you take an additional exam in mathematics from an open board, as you want to pursue engineering, you will have two mark sheets which is not acceptable for JEE Mains or Advanced or JOSSA. NTA and IIT require single 10+2 certificate with the subjects Physics, Chemistry and Maths.

Hi,

JEE Advanced me qualify karne ke liye JEE Main me kisi fixed percentage ki requirement nahi hoti. Percentile aur rank ke basis par cutoff decide hoti hai.  JEE Advanced ke liye eligible hone ke liye aapko JEE Main ke Top 2,50,000 rank holders ke andar aane chahiye, sab category mila kar.

Har saal cutoff percentile thoda alag hota hai, par approximate range general (UR) ke liye hoti hai 90–92 percentile tak, EWS ke liye 78–80 percentile tak, OBC-NCL ke liye 73-75 percentile tak, SC ke liye 55-60 percentile tak aur ST ke liye 45-50 percentile tak.

Iska matlab hai ki agar aap SC category se hai, to lagbhag 55 se 60 percentile JEE Main me lana par aap JEE Advanced ke liye qualify kar sakte hai.

Hope it helps!!!

You can find the syllabus and past years papers here on careers360


for the syllabus

https://engineering.careers360.com/hi/articles/jee-main-syllabus

for the previous years question papers

https://engineering.careers360.com/hi/articles/jee-main-question-paper-hindi-medium



Hello,

Yes, you can start now and prepare for the January attempt of JEE Main . It will be challenging, but with focus and proper planning, it is possible.

Here’s what you can do:

  1. Make a study plan : Divide topics into daily and weekly targets. Focus more on important and high-weightage topics.

  2. Start with basics : Make sure your concepts in Physics, Chemistry, and Math are clear.

  3. Practice regularly : Solve previous year papers and mock tests to understand the exam pattern.

  4. Revise often : Keep revising formulas, important concepts, and tricky problems.

  5. Stay consistent : Even small daily progress is better than irregular study.

If you stay dedicated and follow a strict plan, you can be ready for January.

Hope it helps !