India has very reputable engineering and technological university and on top of all these is the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT’s). IITs have for instance been known to offer quality technical education and developing human resource that is tremendously esteemed by global organizations. For any student aspiring to become an engineer, technologist or researcher, being admitted to one of these top IIT colleges is the dream come true.
In this blog, the information that would be presented include the number of IIT colleges in India, their distinct characteristics, as well as their positions depending on the academic quality, research capability and recognition in ranking systems globally.
Number of IITs in India

Currently, there are 23 IITs in India by 2024. Yet, not all IITs are rated the same. While some are relatively older and are ranked as some of the best universities in the country, others relatively newer are already equivalent to some of the best universities in terms of facilities, research and records set by the students.
The following is the list of the best IIT’s in India with regards to the factors including ranking, academic achievement, research, reputation of the faculty, and intensity of placements.
Top IITs in India: The Elite Group

All the IITs ensure that they set a standard of education, but a few of them are the best amongst the 23 IITs. These are the IITs that have been featured continually in the national and even the international list of the best institutions of learning.
- IIT Bombay
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment: 1958
Overview: It may come as no surprise to some of our reader that IIT Bombay is routinely labelled as the premier IIT in India. Despite competitive recruiters, experienced faculty, and state-of-art infrastructure, it continues as the first choice amongst engineering students. The institute is established to provide a best place for the students to get placed in the best companies securing high paid jobs in internationally prominent companies.
Specializations: Mechanical Engineering along with Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering.
- IIT Delhi
Location: New Delhi
Establishment: 1961
Overview: The IIT Delhi is usually ranked among two or three IITs in the country. Recognized for research capacity the institute enjoys a strong working relation with both state and non state agencies. It encompasses accreditation of a wide number of undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
Specializations: Civil/Mechanical engineering, Electrical engineering, and Chemical engineering.
- IIT Madras
Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Establishment: 1959
Overview: IIT Madras especially prides in the uniqueness in its approach to teaching and research. Physical facilities are quite impressive for they are located on the territory which is both rich in natural sights and equipped with contemporary facilities and comfortable buildings. Being centred on technology advancement, the institute spearheads several research activities especially in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
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Specializations: While Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Metallurgical and Materials Engineering are major options to consider.
- IIT Kanpur
Location: Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Establishment: 1959
Overview: IIT Kanpur is known for its academic intensity along with well qualified faculty. It is notable that institute focus on the mixture of theoretical and practical approaches and that is why many students select this institute to become the researchers and innovators.
Specializations: and Electrical and Electronics Engineering Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering.
- IIT Kharagpur
Location: Kharagpur, West Bengal
Establishment: 1951
Overview: IIT Kharagpur was the first IIT established in India and it enjoys high status in Indian education regulation system. It has a large number of courses recognized academically and an immensely large campus, and some of its members include CEOs of international firms, and academics.
Specializations: Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Agricultural Engineering as highlighted in the early sections of this paper.
- IIT Roorkee
Location: Roorkee, Uttarakhand
Establishment: It began in 1847 and got the IIT status in 2001.
Overview: Known before as University of Roorkee, IIT Roorkee is in fact amongst the oldest engineering universities in the country – the college was founded as a civil engineering college. It does so today via a wide portfolio of engineering programs and it is one of the best-known institutions for research in water resources and hydropower engineering.
Specializations: Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Biotechnology.
- IIT Guwahati
Location: Guwahati, Assam
Establishment: 1994
Overview: IIT Guwahati is comparatively a younger institute as compared to other top IITs but has grown and developed enough and now known as one of the renowned institute in IITs of northeast part of India. The institute is famous for its campus, research in electronics, communication, and mechanical engineering.
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Specializations: CS, Mechanical Engineering and Chemical engineering.
Other Notable IITs
Above mentioned are the most famous or commonly known as the IITs, but few other IITs are also coming up due to their standards, infrastructure and placements. These include:
- IIT Hyderabad: Popular for its state of the art research in technology and innovation.
- IIT Indore: A rapidly expanding institution with a fine academic and achievement record of the faculty and the students.
- IIT Bhubaneswar: It has evolved from being a research university with specialization in sustainability and s innovation.
Admission into IITs: The Process

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To get into any of the ITTs, the students are expected to sit for what is perhaps one of the most challenging tests in the world called the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). The exam is conducted in two phases:
JEE Main: This is the first phase and is conducted for all the candidates who intends to sit for the examination must have sat for their higher secondary education.
JEE Advanced: JEE Advanced is only for those candidates who have appeared JEE Main and got selected within the top ranks. The results of this particular examination decide the admitance of students to the IITs.
Moreover, IITs conduct postgraduate courses in which GATE for M.Tech and CAT for MBA are the prerequisites to give an entry into the program.
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Conclusion
A glance at the leading engineering institutions reveals that it is in India that the IITs have been setting a standard in engineering education internationally. Currently there are 23 IITs across the country, but the first level institutes like IIT Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kanpur and Kharagpur are ahead of others in respect of academic, research and global vitalities. For students who are in a quest of creating a successful engineering, science or technology institution, these IITs remain as the ultimate institutions.