IIT Delhi vs IIT Madras: Courses, Seats, Cutoffs, Fees, Placements and Research (2026)
IIT Madras is 1st and IIT Delhi is 4th in NIRF 2025 Overall. In Engineering they are 1st and 2nd. Tuition is the same ₹1,00,000 per semester. IIT Delhi's 4-year UG graduates reported a higher median salary in 2024-25 (₹20.00 lakh vs ₹17.78 lakh), and so did its 5-year dual-degree graduates (₹30 lakh vs ₹22 lakh). IIT Madras received almost three times IIT Delhi's sponsored research funding (₹1,128.82 crore vs ₹410.54 crore).
Last updated: 13 Oct 2026. Every number links to its official source with the data year.
Who should pick which (our analysis)
- Choose on branch first. In JoSAA 2026, 4-year CSE closed at OPEN rank 128 at IIT Delhi and 151 at IIT Madras, which is very close.
- IIT Delhi suits students who want Delhi, the higher reported UG medians, or branches such as Mathematics and Computing and Textile Technology.
- IIT Madras suits students who want the No. 1 NIRF rank, a large research setup, and new branches such as AI and Data Analytics or Naval Architecture.
At a glance
| Point | IIT Delhi | IIT Madras | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Established (year) | Not published | 1959 | josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026 institute profile) |
| Location (city, state) | New Delhi, Delhi | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | home.iitd.ac.in josaa.admissions.nic.in |
| Campus area | Not published | 650 acres | josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026 institute profile) |
| Official website | home.iitd.ac.in | iitm.ac.in | home.iitd.ac.in iitm.ac.in |
| NIRF Overall rank | 4 | 1 | nirfindia.org (NIRF 2025) |
| NIRF Engineering rank | 2 | 1 | nirfindia.org (NIRF 2025) |
| B.Tech tuition per semester | ₹1,00,000 | ₹1,00,000 | academics.iitd.ac.in (2025-26) josaa.admissions.nic.in (2026-27) |
| First-semester academic fees | ₹1,31,000 | ₹1,41,402 | academics.iitd.ac.in (2025-26) josaa.admissions.nic.in (2026-27) |
| Fee waiver notes | SC, ST and PwD: no tuition. Family income ₹1–5 lakh: one-third tuition (₹33,333); below ₹1 lakh: nil. ₹1,00,000 applies above ₹5 lakh. | SC, ST and PwD: no tuition. Family income below ₹1 lakh: full tuition remission; ₹1–5 lakh: two-thirds remission (first-semester total ₹74,735). | academics.iitd.ac.in (2025-26) josaa.admissions.nic.in (2026-27) |
| Hostel / mess fee | ₹8,600 institute residence fee (in first-semester fees); mess charges not published in the fee structure | Seat rent ₹7,500 per semester; hostel fee circular at fees.iitm.ac.in; advance mess charges depend on the mess tender | academics.iitd.ac.in (2025-26) josaa.admissions.nic.in (2026-27) |
| Total JoSAA seats | 1,249 | 1,118 | josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026) josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026) |
| UG 4-year median salary | ₹20 lakh | ₹17.78 lakh | home.iitd.ac.in (2024-25) iitm.ac.in (2024-25) |
| UG 4-year placed / graduated | 818 placed of 986 graduates | 631 placed of 781 graduates | home.iitd.ac.in (2024-25) iitm.ac.in (2024-25) |
| UG 5-year (dual) median salary | ₹30 lakh | ₹22 lakh | home.iitd.ac.in (2024-25) iitm.ac.in (2024-25) |
| PG 2-year median salary | ₹19.25 lakh | ₹15 lakh | home.iitd.ac.in (2024-25) iitm.ac.in (2024-25) |
| PG 2-year placed | 641 | 644 | home.iitd.ac.in (2024-25) iitm.ac.in (2024-25) |
| UG 4-year went for higher studies | 73 | 147 | home.iitd.ac.in (2024-25) iitm.ac.in (2024-25) |
| Total UG 4-year students | 4,388 | 3,733 | home.iitd.ac.in (2024-25) iitm.ac.in (2024-25) |
| Faculty count | 675 | 720 | home.iitd.ac.in (NIRF 2026) iitm.ac.in (NIRF 2026) |
| Full-time PhD students | 2,954 | 2,399 | home.iitd.ac.in (2024-25) iitm.ac.in (2024-25) |
| Full-time PhDs graduated | 489 | 485 | home.iitd.ac.in (2024-25) iitm.ac.in (2024-25) |
| Sponsored research received | ₹410.54 crore | ₹1,128.82 crore | home.iitd.ac.in (FY 2024-25) iitm.ac.in (FY 2024-25) |
| Consultancy received | ₹49.60 crore | ₹460.28 crore | home.iitd.ac.in (FY 2024-25) iitm.ac.in (FY 2024-25) |
How IIT Delhi and IIT Madras differ
- IIT Madras received 2.7 times as much sponsored research funding (₹1,128.82 crore vs ₹410.54 crore, FY 2024-25).
- IIT Madras earned 9.3 times as much from consultancy (₹460.28 crore vs ₹49.60 crore, FY 2024-25).
- IIT Madras has 7% more faculty (720 vs 675, NIRF 2026).
- IIT Delhi has 23% more full-time PhD students (2,954 vs 2,399, 2024-25).
- IIT Delhi offers 12% more JoSAA seats (1,249 vs 1,118, JoSAA 2026).
- IIT Delhi reported a ₹2.22 lakh higher 4-year UG median salary (₹20 lakh vs ₹17.78 lakh).
- Both charge the same B.Tech tuition: ₹1,00,000 per semester.
- IIT Madras ranks higher in NIRF 2025 Overall (1 vs 4).
- IIT Madras ranks higher in NIRF 2025 Engineering (1 vs 2).
- IIT Delhi has more 4-year B.Tech CSE seats (99 vs 87).
- Only IIT Delhi offers Electrical Engineering (Power and Automation), Energy Engineering, Mathematics and Computing, Industrial / Production Engineering among these two.
- Only IIT Madras offers Aerospace Engineering, Biological Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, Computational Engineering and Mechanics among these two.
Worked out from the official numbers above.
Courses and seats
Both split computing seats: IIT Delhi across CSE (99), the CSE dual degree (37) and Mathematics and Computing (89 + 33), and IIT Madras across CSE (87) and AI and Data Analytics (50).
IIT Delhi
- B.Tech (4 years)
- Dual degree B.Tech + M.Tech (5 years)
- B.S. Chemistry
- B.Tech Design
- Abu Dhabi campus B.Tech (4 branches)
- M.Tech, M.Sc, MBA, M.Des and PhD
IIT Madras
- B.Tech, B.S. and 5-year dual degree
- B.S. Medical Sciences and Engineering, B.S. Chemistry
- M.Sc, M.Tech, MBA, EMBA, M.A.
- MS (Research) and PhD
- Online B.S. in Data Science and Applications, B.S. in Electronic Systems
Seats per branch
| Branch | IIT Delhi | IIT Madras |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science and Engineering | 99 | 87 |
| CSE, 5-year dual degree | 37 | Not offered |
| Electrical Engineering | 110 | 154 |
| Electrical Engineering (Power and Automation) | 54 | Not offered |
| Mechanical Engineering | 85 | 144 |
| Civil Engineering | 110 | 111 |
| Chemical Engineering | 75 | 104 |
| Chemical Engineering, dual degree | 46 | Not offered |
| Engineering Physics | 63 | 42 |
| Materials Engineering | 40 | 54 |
| Energy Engineering | 40 | Not offered |
| Mathematics and Computing | 89 | Not offered |
| Mathematics and Computing, dual degree | 33 | Not offered |
| Industrial / Production Engineering | 83 | Not offered |
| Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering | 60 | Not offered |
| Textile Technology | 85 | Not offered |
| Engineering and Computational Mechanics | 40 | Not offered |
| B.S. Chemistry | 40 | Not offered |
| B.Tech Design | 20 | Not offered |
| Abu Dhabi campus (4 branches) | 40 | Not offered |
| Aerospace Engineering | Not offered | 54 |
| Biological Engineering | Not offered | 30 |
| Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics | Not offered | 50 |
| Computational Engineering and Mechanics | Not offered | 40 |
| Instrumentation and Biomedical Engineering | Not offered | 40 |
| Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering | Not offered | 73 |
| B.S. Physics | Not offered | 12 |
| B.S. Mathematics | Not offered | 20 |
| B.S. Biological Science | Not offered | 30 |
| Aerospace Engineering, 5-year dual degree | Not offered | 9 |
| Engineering Design, 5-year dual degree | Not offered | 64 |
Source: josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026) · josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026)
What this means
Seats are the total for each branch across all categories, including female-supernumerary seats, from the JoSAA seat matrix. More seats in a branch usually means a wider range of closing ranks, so your chances can be better in a branch with more seats.
JoSAA cutoffs: opening and closing ranks
Closing ranks in the final JoSAA round, OPEN category, gender-neutral seats (JEE Advanced CRL). Lower means harder to get.
| Branch | IIT Delhi | IIT Madras | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
| Abu Dhabi Campus - Chemical Engineering | – | 5712 | 6145 | – | – | – |
| Abu Dhabi Campus - Computer Science and Engineering | – | 1761 | 1788 | – | – | – |
| Abu Dhabi Campus - Electrical Engineering | – | – | 3436 | – | – | – |
| Abu Dhabi Campus - Energy Engineering | – | 5590 | 4465 | – | – | – |
| Aerospace Engineering | – | – | – | 2815 | 3211 | 3278 |
| Aerospace Engineering (5-yr) | – | – | – | 2984 | 2808 | 3389 |
| Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics | – | – | – | 419 | 306 | 226 |
| Biological Engineering | – | – | – | 5755 | 5261 | 6440 |
| Biological Science | – | – | – | 10682 | 10290 | 12204 |
| Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering | 4849 | 4999 | 4990 | – | – | – |
| BS in Mathematics | – | – | – | – | – | 1804 |
| Chemical Engineering | 2221 | 2548 | 2724 | 3972 | 4116 | 4162 |
| Chemical Engineering (5-yr) | 3646 | 3454 | 3968 | – | – | – |
| Chemistry | – | 8528 | 8823 | – | – | – |
| Civil Engineering | 4169 | 4302 | 4901 | 5688 | 6112 | 6225 |
| Computational Engineering and Mechanics | – | – | – | – | 1309 | 1314 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 116 | 126 | 128 | 159 | 171 | 151 |
| Computer Science and Engineering (5-yr) | 204 | 186 | 212 | – | – | – |
| Design | – | 12217 | 12730 | – | – | – |
| Electrical Engineering | 625 | 605 | 612 | 838 | 849 | 749 |
| Electrical Engineering (Power and Automation) | 810 | 823 | 823 | – | – | – |
| Energy Engineering | 2707 | 2668 | 2965 | – | – | – |
| Engineering and Computational Mechanics | 1194 | 1103 | 1107 | – | – | – |
| Engineering Design (5-yr) | – | – | – | 3656 | 3380 | 3093 |
| Engineering Physics | 2560 | 2565 | 2435 | 1858 | 1441 | 1316 |
| Instrumentation and Biomedical Engineering | – | – | – | – | 4366 | 4011 |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | 3797 | 3736 | 3706 | 4748 | 5499 | 5398 |
| Mathematics and Computing | 332 | 323 | 338 | – | – | – |
| Mathematics and Computing (5-yr) | 417 | 355 | 403 | – | – | – |
| Mechanical Engineering | 1782 | 1862 | 2205 | 2310 | 2468 | 2619 |
| Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering | – | – | – | 7404 | 7433 | 8354 |
| Physics | – | – | – | – | 3804 | 3918 |
| Physics (5-yr) | – | – | – | 2742 | – | – |
| Production and Industrial Engineering | 3089 | 3223 | 3402 | – | – | – |
| Textile Technology | 6102 | 5733 | 6580 | – | – | – |
All categories and seat pools
| Institute | Branch | Category | Seats | Year | Round | Opening | Closing |
|---|
Source: JoSAA opening and closing ranks (josaa.nic.in), final round of each year.
M.Tech (GATE) cutoffs
We have not found official, department-wise GATE cutoffs for these institutes that we could verify for the last three years, so none are shown. Check each department's M.Tech admissions page and the COAP portal.
What this means
The opening rank is the best rank admitted in that category, and the closing rank is the last rank admitted in the final round. Your JEE (Advanced) category rank must be at or better than the closing rank to have had a seat that year. Cutoffs move every year, so look at the trend over three years, not one number. Female-only seats are supernumerary seats for female candidates; PwD ranks are separate lists.
What this means
M.Tech admissions at IITs use GATE scores through COAP and the institute's own process. Cutoffs are set by each department and are published only by some institutes in some years.
Fees
Tuition is equal, and both give income-based remission to families earning less than ₹5 lakh a year. The first-semester total is ₹1,31,000 at IIT Delhi (2025-26) and ₹1,41,402 at IIT Madras (2026-27). These come from different fee years.
Fee waiver notes: IIT Delhi: SC, ST and PwD: no tuition. Family income ₹1–5 lakh: one-third tuition (₹33,333); below ₹1 lakh: nil. ₹1,00,000 applies above ₹5 lakh.. IIT Madras: SC, ST and PwD: no tuition. Family income below ₹1 lakh: full tuition remission; ₹1–5 lakh: two-thirds remission (first-semester total ₹74,735)..
Hostel / mess fee: IIT Delhi: ₹8,600 institute residence fee (in first-semester fees); mess charges not published in the fee structure. IIT Madras: Seat rent ₹7,500 per semester; hostel fee circular at fees.iitm.ac.in; advance mess charges depend on the mess tender.
What this means
Tuition is the main fee, but the first-semester bill also includes one-time and hostel charges. Fee waivers are set by the government: SC, ST and PwD students pay no tuition at IITs, and students from lower-income families pay reduced or no tuition. Check the latest fee notice for the exact income limits.
Placements
IIT Delhi placed 818 of 986 4-year UG graduates in 2024-25, and IIT Madras placed 631 of 781. Both medians come from the same NIRF 2026 data year.
UG 4-year placed / graduated: IIT Delhi: 818 placed of 986 graduates. IIT Madras: 631 placed of 781 graduates.
What this means
The median salary is the middle value: half of the placed students earned more and half earned less. It is a fairer guide than the "highest package", which only one student gets. Compare it with the number placed out of those who graduated, and remember that many students choose higher studies instead.
Research, labs and projects
IIT Madras leads clearly on research (₹1,128.82 crore vs ₹410.54 crore) and consultancy (₹460.28 crore vs ₹49.60 crore) for 2024-25.
Notable labs / facilities
IIT Delhi
- Central Research Facility (CRF): open to users inside and outside IIT Delhi with online booking; FESEM, single-crystal XRD, micro-Raman, AFM
- New CRF building and workshop at the Sonipat campus
crf.iitd.ac.in (2026)
IIT Madras
- Sophisticated Analytical Instruments Facility (SAIF)
- Material Science Research Centre (MSRC)
- Central Electronics Centre (CEC)
- AQUA high-performance computing cluster (11,680 cores, 30 GPUs)
josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026 institute profile)
What this means
Sponsored research is money given by government and industry for research projects in that year. Consultancy is paid work done for industry. Higher figures mean more projects, labs and chances for students to work on real problems.
How to choose
- List the branches your JoSAA rank can realistically get at both, using the cutoff table above.
- Compare those branches, not only the institute name.
- Check which fee waivers you qualify for.
- Think about the city, the cost of living and the distance from home.
- Look at dual-degree and minor options in each curriculum.
FAQ
Which is better, IIT Delhi or IIT Madras?
In NIRF 2025 Overall, IIT Delhi is ranked 4 and IIT Madras is ranked 1. In Engineering, IIT Delhi is 2 and IIT Madras is 1. The official data is close at this level, so the right choice depends on your branch and personal fit.
Is the B.Tech fee the same at IIT Delhi and IIT Madras?
B.Tech tuition is ₹1,00,000 per semester at IIT Delhi and ₹1,00,000 at IIT Madras (2025-26). Fee waivers apply for eligible students; see the fees section.
Which has better placements, IIT Delhi or IIT Madras?
The 4-year UG median salary was ₹20 lakh at IIT Delhi (2024-25) and ₹17.78 lakh at IIT Madras (2024-25), from NIRF data.
How many CSE seats do IIT Delhi and IIT Madras have?
The JoSAA seat matrix lists 99 B.Tech CSE seats at IIT Delhi and 87 at IIT Madras (JoSAA 2026).
Which does more research, IIT Delhi or IIT Madras?
IIT Delhi received ₹410.54 crore in sponsored research (FY 2024-25) and IIT Madras received ₹1,128.82 crore (FY 2024-25).
What is a closing rank?
It is the last JEE (Advanced) category rank that got a seat in that branch in the final JoSAA round. If your rank is at or better than it, you would have got a seat that year. It changes every year.
Sources
- https://home.iitd.ac.in
- https://www.nirfindia.org/Rankings/2025/OverallRanking.html
- https://www.nirfindia.org/Rankings/2025/EngineeringRanking.html
- https://academics.iitd.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Fee-Structure_2025-26_UG-Entry-Students-revised.pdf
- https://josaa.admissions.nic.in/applicant/seatmatrix/InstProfile.aspx?instcd=104
- https://home.iitd.ac.in/uploads/nirf/2026/NIRF_2026_Overall_Indian Institute of Technology Delhi20260402.pdf
- https://crf.iitd.ac.in/
- https://josaa.admissions.nic.in/applicant/seatmatrix/InstProfile.aspx?instcd=110
- https://www.iitm.ac.in
- https://www.iitm.ac.in/sites/default/files/NIRF/NIRF_Overall_2026.pdf
- https://josaa.admissions.nic.in/applicant/seatmatrix/openingclosingrankarchieve.aspx
- https://josaa.admissions.nic.in/applicant/SeatAllotmentResult/CurrentORCR.aspx
Found an error? Tell us through the contact page and we will check it against the official source.