IIT Kanpur vs IIT Palakkad: Courses, Seats, Cutoffs, Fees, Placements and Research (2026)
IIT Kanpur leads on sponsored research by 911% (₹363.43 crore vs ₹35.94 crore, FY 2024-25). IIT Kanpur earned 14.1 times as much from consultancy (₹113.61 crore vs ₹8.08 crore, FY 2024-25). IIT Kanpur has 4.3 times as much faculty (636 vs 149, NIRF 2026).
Last updated: 14 Oct 2026.
Who should pick which (our analysis)
IIT Palakkad
Our analysis: IIT Palakkad suits you if you prefer small classes. Its six branches are Civil, CSE, Electrical, Mechanical, Data Science and Engineering, and Materials Engineering. Five of them have 50 seats each. A small intake can mean closer contact with faculty.At a glance
Swipe sideways. The first column stays put.
| Point | IIT Kanpur | IIT Palakkad | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Established (year) | 1959 | 2015 | JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Location (city, state) | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh | Kanjikode, Palakkad, Kerala | josaa.admissions.nic.in JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Campus area | 1,055 acres | 500 acres | JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Official website | iitk.ac.in | iitpkd.ac.in | iitk.ac.in |
| NIRF Overall rank | 5 | Not published | NIRF 2025 |
| NIRF Engineering rank | 4 | 64 | NIRF 2025 |
| B.Tech tuition per semester | ₹1,00,000 | ₹1,00,000 | 2026-27 |
| First-semester academic fees | ₹1,58,415 | Not published | 2026-27 |
| Fee waiver notes | SC, ST, PwD and family income below ₹1 lakh: no tuition. Family income ₹1–5 lakh: one-third tuition (₹33,333). | SC, ST and PwD: tuition waived. | 2026-27 |
| Hostel / mess fee | Mess establishment charges ₹13,360 (first semester); seat rent and hall charges are inside the ₹13,855 semester fee | Per semester: hostel seat rent ₹6,500; advance dining charges ₹20,000 (first semester) | 2026-27 |
| Total JoSAA seats | 1,240 | 280 | JoSAA 2026 |
| UG 4-year median salary | ₹21.7 lakh | ₹12 lakh | 2024-25 |
| UG 4-year placed / graduated | 855 placed of 1,205 graduates | 104 placed of 142 graduates | 2024-25 |
| PG 2-year median salary | ₹15.7 lakh | ₹10.8 lakh | 2024-25 |
| PG 2-year placed | 674 | 47 | 2024-25 |
| UG 4-year went for higher studies | 257 | 15 | 2024-25 |
| Total UG 4-year students | 4,932 | Not published | 2024-25 |
| Faculty count | 636 | 149 | NIRF 2026 |
| Full-time PhD students | 2,172 | 234 | 2024-25 |
| Full-time PhDs graduated | 294 | Not published | 2024-25 |
| Sponsored research received | ₹363.43 crore | ₹35.94 crore | FY 2024-25 |
| Consultancy received | ₹113.61 crore | ₹8.08 crore | FY 2024-25 |
How IIT Kanpur and IIT Palakkad differ
- IIT Kanpur leads on sponsored research by 911% (₹363.43 crore vs ₹35.94 crore, FY 2024-25).
- IIT Kanpur earned 14.1 times as much from consultancy (₹113.61 crore vs ₹8.08 crore, FY 2024-25).
- IIT Kanpur has 4.3 times as much faculty (636 vs 149, NIRF 2026).
- IIT Kanpur enrols 9.3 times as much PhD scholars (2,172 vs 234, 2024-25).
- IIT Kanpur admits 4.4 times as much students through JoSAA (1,240 vs 280, JoSAA 2026).
- IIT Kanpur reported a ₹9.70 lakh higher 4-year UG median salary (₹21.7 lakh vs ₹12 lakh).
- Tuition is identical at ₹1,00,000 a semester.
- IIT Kanpur ranks higher in NIRF 2025 Engineering (4 vs 64).
- IIT Kanpur has more 4-year B.Tech CSE seats (129 vs 50).
- Only IIT Kanpur offers Aerospace Engineering, Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Intelligent Systems among these two.
- Only IIT Palakkad offers Data Science and Engineering among these two.
Worked out from the official numbers above.
Courses and seats
IIT Kanpur
- B.Tech (4 years)
- B.S. (4 years)
- BT-MT and BS-MS dual degrees
- B.Cyber
IIT Palakkad
- B.Tech (4 years)
Seats per branch
| Branch | IIT Kanpur | IIT Palakkad |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | 69 | Not offered |
| Biological Sciences and Bioengineering | 53 | Not offered |
| Chemical Engineering | 104 | Not offered |
| Civil Engineering | 148 | 50 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 129 | 50 |
| Electrical Engineering | 192 | 50 |
| Materials Science and Engineering | 85 | 30 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 149 | 50 |
| Intelligent Systems | 30 | Not offered |
| B.S. Chemistry | 49 | Not offered |
| B.S. Economics | 52 | Not offered |
| B.S. Mathematics and Scientific Computing | 64 | Not offered |
| B.S. Physics | 45 | Not offered |
| B.S. Earth Sciences | 43 | Not offered |
| B.S. Statistics and Data Science | 28 | Not offered |
| Data Science and Engineering | Not offered | 50 |
Source: JoSAA 2026 · JoSAA 2026
5 branches appear at both IIT Kanpur and IIT Palakkad. What seat counts tell you →
JoSAA cutoffs: opening and closing ranks
OPEN closing ranks, 2024–2026. Lower is harder.
| Branch | IIT Kanpur | IIT Palakkad | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
| Aerospace Engineering | 3638 | 3805 | 4015 | – | – | – |
| Biological Sciences and Bioengineering | 6952 | 7105 | 7837 | – | – | – |
| Chemical Engineering | 4015 | 4280 | 4436 | – | – | – |
| Chemistry | 10498 | 10482 | 11668 | – | – | – |
| Civil Engineering | 5948 | 6161 | 7177 | 15812 | 16753 | 18196 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 252 | 271 | 283 | 6199 | 6454 | 7625 |
| Data Science and Engineering | – | – | – | 8084 | 8640 | 9484 |
| Earth Sciences | 10058 | 10108 | 10774 | – | – | – |
| Economics | 3106 | 3310 | 3650 | – | – | – |
| Electrical Engineering | 1290 | 1146 | 1171 | 9625 | 10396 | 10926 |
| Intelligent Systems | – | – | 1134 | – | – | – |
| Materials Engineering | 6008 | 6337 | 6533 | – | – | 18397 |
| Mathematics and Scientific Computing | 990 | 1179 | 1270 | – | – | – |
| Mechanical Engineering | 2776 | 2771 | 3178 | 12540 | 12606 | 14360 |
| Physics | 5508 | 5691 | 5723 | – | – | – |
| Statistics and Data Science | 1030 | 1270 | 1409 | – | – | – |
All categories and seat pools
| Institute | Branch | Category | Seats | Year | Round | Opening | Closing |
|---|
Source: josaa.nic.in, final rounds.
M.Tech (GATE) cutoffs
No verified GATE cutoffs yet. How M.Tech admission works →
CSE OPEN closing ranks: IIT Kanpur 283 (2026), IIT Palakkad 7,625 (2026). What a closing rank means →
Fees
Fee waiver notes: IIT Kanpur: SC, ST, PwD and family income below ₹1 lakh: no tuition. Family income ₹1–5 lakh: one-third tuition (₹33,333).. IIT Palakkad: SC, ST and PwD: tuition waived..
Hostel / mess fee: IIT Kanpur: Mess establishment charges ₹13,360 (first semester); seat rent and hall charges are inside the ₹13,855 semester fee. IIT Palakkad: Per semester: hostel seat rent ₹6,500; advance dining charges ₹20,000 (first semester).
Research, labs and projects
Notable labs / facilities
IIT Kanpur
- Airstrip on campus (used by the Aerospace Engineering department and the Gliding Club)
josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026 institute profile)
IIT Palakkad
- Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF)
- Central Micro-Nano Fabrication Facility (CMFF)
- Central Facility for Materials and Manufacturing Engineering (CFMM)
- 'Chandra' high-performance computing cluster
josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026 institute profile)
For industry consultancy, IIT Kanpur earns the most of the two. Why research funding matters →
IIT Palakkad: what these numbers mean
Tuition is ₹1,00,000 per semester and is waived for SC, ST and PwD students. Other first-semester items include hostel seat rent of ₹6,500 and advance dining charges of ₹20,000. NIRF 2026 data shows 104 of 142 four-year graduates placed in 2024-25, at a median of ₹12 lakh. 15 went for higher studies. PG (2-year) graduates had a median of ₹10.8 lakh. Sponsored research was ₹35.94 crore in FY 2024-25, which is solid for a young institute. Research facilities include a Central Instrumentation Facility, a Central Micro-Nano Fabrication Facility, a materials and manufacturing facility, and the 'Chandra' high-performance computing cluster. The campus uses sustainable green buildings. The NIRF list names 149 faculty and 234 full-time PhD scholars. Use the cutoff table to see how closing ranks for each branch moved between 2024, 2025 and 2026.How to choose
- Check your rank against the cutoff table first. CSE OPEN closing ranks: IIT Kanpur 283 (2026), IIT Palakkad 7,625 (2026).
- 5 branches appear at both IIT Kanpur and IIT Palakkad. Compare the branch you want, not just the name.
- IIT Kanpur is in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh; IIT Palakkad is in Kanjikode, Palakkad, Kerala. Think about distance from home.
FAQ
Is the B.Tech fee the same at IIT Kanpur and IIT Palakkad?
Both charge ₹1,00,000 per semester.
Which has better placements, IIT Kanpur or IIT Palakkad?
IIT Kanpur has the higher UG median: ₹21.7 lakh vs ₹12 lakh (NIRF).
How many CSE seats do IIT Kanpur and IIT Palakkad have?
IIT Kanpur: 129. IIT Palakkad: 50.
Which does more research, IIT Kanpur or IIT Palakkad?
Sponsored research: IIT Kanpur ₹363.43 crore, IIT Palakkad ₹35.94 crore.
Sources
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › InstProfile
- iitk.ac.in
- nirfindia.org › OverallRanking
- nirfindia.org › EngineeringRanking
- iitk.ac.in › Fee-Structure-for-New-UG-for-2026-2027-1st…
- iitk.ac.in › Overall-2026.pdf
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › InstProfile
- iitpkd.ac.in
- iitpkd.ac.in › 4bc0d928-8fa0-42e6-8140-a54bf872535f.pdf
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › openingclosingrankarchieve
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › CurrentORCR
Spotted a wrong number? Report it →