Few institutions inspire Indians like the IITs. For decades, they have been the apex of engineering education, producing leaders in science, technology, and entrepreneurship. The government’s continued investment reflects a strong commitment to sustaining this legacy. In the Union Budget 2025–26, IITs were allocated nearly Rs 11,349 crore, and an additional Rs 11,828 crore is being invested over four years to scale up five new IITs in Tirupati, Bhilai, Jammu, Dharwad, and Palakkad. IIT Bhilai alone is receiving Rs 1,400 crore to double its capacity and build a research park.

The IIT story has been a success by many measures. Yet the latest JEE Advanced admission data reveals an important reality. India’s brightest aspirants still overwhelmingly cluster in a handful of older IITs. Nearly 80 per cent of the top 5,000 rankers choose just nine institutions, while the newer IITs attract only a few. Overwhelmingly, the aspirants gravitated towards IIT Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Roorkee, Hyderabad, and Guwahati. Some of the newer IITs, despite heavy capital investment, attract fewer than 5 of the top 5,000 students. This does not diminish their value, since they are creating opportunities for thousands of students, but it does highlight the challenge of building excellence at scale. Building world-class........

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