IIT Kanpur vs IIT Roorkee: Courses, Seats, Cutoffs, Fees, Placements and Research (2026)
IIT Kanpur received 3.1 times as much sponsored research funding (₹363.43 crore, FY 2024-25 vs ₹117.45 crore, FY 2023-24; different data years). IIT Roorkee leads on industry consultancy by 15% (₹130.36 crore, FY 2023-24 vs ₹113.61 crore, FY 2024-25; different data years). IIT Kanpur and IIT Roorkee are close on faculty count (636 vs 641).
Last updated: 14 Oct 2026.
Who should pick which (our analysis)
IIT Roorkee
Our analysis: IIT Roorkee suits you if you want a large, long-established campus with many branch choices. Besides B.Tech, it offers B.Arch, 5-year integrated M.Tech in Geological and Geophysical Technology, and BS-MS dual degrees in Physics, Mathematics & Computing, Chemical Sciences and Economics. Civil (154 seats) and Electrical (165) are its biggest B.Tech branches.At a glance
Swipe sideways. The first column stays put.
| Point | IIT Kanpur | IIT Roorkee | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Established (year) | 1959 | 1847 | JoSAA 2026 institute profile official website |
| Location (city, state) | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh | Roorkee, Uttarakhand | josaa.admissions.nic.in JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Campus area | 1,055 acres | Not published | JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Official website | iitk.ac.in | iitr.ac.in | iitk.ac.in |
| NIRF Overall rank | 5 | 7 | NIRF 2025 |
| NIRF Engineering rank | 4 | 6 | NIRF 2025 |
| B.Tech tuition per semester | ₹1,00,000 | ₹1,00,000 | 2026-27 |
| First-semester academic fees | ₹1,58,415 | ₹1,55,550 | 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: no tuition. Family income below ₹1 lakh: no tuition; ₹1–5 lakh: ₹33,333 per semester (two-thirds remitted). | 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: accommodation ₹5,000 + electricity ₹2,500; mess advance ₹21,750 | 2026-27 |
| Total JoSAA seats | 1,240 | 1,353 | JoSAA 2026 |
| UG 4-year median salary | ₹21.7 lakh | ₹17 lakh | 2024-25 2023-24 |
| UG 4-year placed / graduated | 855 placed of 1,205 graduates | 769 placed of 1,102 graduates | 2024-25 2023-24 |
| PG 2-year median salary | ₹15.7 lakh | ₹11 lakh | 2024-25 2023-24 |
| PG 2-year placed | 674 | 337 | 2024-25 2023-24 |
| UG 4-year went for higher studies | 257 | 333 | 2024-25 2023-24 |
| Total UG 4-year students | 4,932 | Not published | 2024-25 |
| Faculty count | 636 | 641 | NIRF 2026 NIRF 2025 |
| Full-time PhD students | 2,172 | 3,047 | 2024-25 2023-24 |
| Full-time PhDs graduated | 294 | Not published | 2024-25 |
| Sponsored research received | ₹363.43 crore | ₹117.45 crore | FY 2024-25 FY 2023-24 |
| Consultancy received | ₹113.61 crore | ₹130.36 crore | FY 2024-25 FY 2023-24 |
How IIT Kanpur and IIT Roorkee differ
- IIT Kanpur received 3.1 times as much sponsored research funding (₹363.43 crore, FY 2024-25 vs ₹117.45 crore, FY 2023-24; different data years).
- IIT Roorkee leads on industry consultancy by 15% (₹130.36 crore, FY 2023-24 vs ₹113.61 crore, FY 2024-25; different data years).
- IIT Kanpur and IIT Roorkee are close on faculty count (636 vs 641).
- IIT Roorkee runs a 40% bigger PhD programme (3,047, 2023-24 vs 2,172, 2024-25; different data years).
- IIT Roorkee offers 9% more JoSAA seats (1,353 vs 1,240, JoSAA 2026).
- The latest published 4-year UG median salary is ₹21.7 lakh at IIT Kanpur (2024-25) and ₹17 lakh at IIT Roorkee (2023-24). The years differ, so compare with care.
- Both charge the same B.Tech tuition: ₹1,00,000 per semester.
- IIT Kanpur ranks higher in NIRF 2025 Overall (5 vs 7).
- IIT Kanpur ranks higher in NIRF 2025 Engineering (4 vs 6).
- IIT Kanpur has more 4-year B.Tech CSE seats (129 vs 109).
- Only IIT Kanpur offers Aerospace Engineering, Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Intelligent Systems among these two.
- Only IIT Roorkee offers Electronics and Communication Engineering, Engineering Physics, Production and Industrial Engineering, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence 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 Roorkee
- B.Tech (4 years)
- B.Arch (5 years)
- Integrated M.Tech (5 years)
- Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (5 years, dual degree)
Seats per branch
| Branch | IIT Kanpur | IIT Roorkee |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | 69 | Not offered |
| Biological Sciences and Bioengineering | 53 | Not offered |
| Chemical Engineering | 104 | 117 |
| Civil Engineering | 148 | 154 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 129 | 109 |
| Electrical Engineering | 192 | 165 |
| Materials Science and Engineering | 85 | 82 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 149 | 150 |
| 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 |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering | Not offered | 109 |
| Engineering Physics | Not offered | 50 |
| Production and Industrial Engineering | Not offered | 58 |
| Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | Not offered | 40 |
| Biosciences and Bioengineering | Not offered | 46 |
| Energy Engineering | Not offered | 20 |
| Architecture (5-year Bachelor of Architecture) | Not offered | 30 |
| Geological Technology (5-year Integrated Master of Technology) | Not offered | 38 |
| Geophysical Technology (5-year Integrated Master of Technology) | Not offered | 41 |
| Physics (5-year Bachelor of Science and Master of Science dual degree) | Not offered | 27 |
| Mathematics & Computing (5-year Bachelor of Science and Master of Science dual degree) | Not offered | 49 |
| Chemical Sciences (5-year Bachelor of Science and Master of Science dual degree) | Not offered | 35 |
| Economics (5-year Bachelor of Science and Master of Science dual degree) | Not offered | 33 |
Source: JoSAA 2026 · JoSAA 2026
They have 6 branch names in common. About JoSAA seat numbers →
JoSAA cutoffs: opening and closing ranks
OPEN closing ranks, 2024–2026. Lower is harder.
| Branch | IIT Kanpur | IIT Roorkee | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
| Aerospace Engineering | 3638 | 3805 | 4015 | – | – | – |
| Architecture (5-yr) | – | – | – | 19885 | 17665 | 19389 |
| Biological Sciences and Bioengineering | 6952 | 7105 | 7837 | – | – | – |
| Biosciences and Bioengineering | – | – | – | 7286 | 8159 | 8735 |
| Chemical Engineering | 4015 | 4280 | 4436 | 4689 | 4816 | 5572 |
| Chemical Sciences (5-yr) | – | – | – | 11647 | 11130 | 12132 |
| Chemistry | 10498 | 10482 | 11668 | – | – | – |
| Civil Engineering | 5948 | 6161 | 7177 | 6293 | 6870 | 7765 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 252 | 271 | 283 | 481 | 592 | 587 |
| Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | – | – | – | 680 | 845 | 847 |
| Earth Sciences | 10058 | 10108 | 10774 | – | – | – |
| Economics | 3106 | 3310 | 3650 | – | – | – |
| Economics (5-yr) | – | – | – | 5312 | 5938 | 5957 |
| Electrical Engineering | 1290 | 1146 | 1171 | 2033 | 2091 | 2269 |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering | – | – | – | 1424 | 1486 | 1541 |
| Energy Engineering | – | – | – | 4818 | 4761 | 5418 |
| Engineering Physics | – | – | – | 3951 | 4544 | 4251 |
| Geological Technology (5-yr) | – | – | – | 9977 | 10016 | 11560 |
| Geophysical Technology (5-yr) | – | – | – | 9210 | 8870 | 9779 |
| Intelligent Systems | – | – | 1134 | – | – | – |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | 6008 | 6337 | 6533 | 7051 | 7341 | 7977 |
| Mathematics and Scientific Computing | 990 | 1179 | 1270 | – | – | – |
| Mathematics & Computing (5-yr) | – | – | – | 1512 | 1513 | 1529 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 2776 | 2771 | 3178 | 3672 | 3897 | 4453 |
| Physics | 5508 | 5691 | 5723 | – | – | – |
| Physics (5-yr) | – | – | – | 9079 | 10171 | 9749 |
| Production and Industrial Engineering | – | – | – | 5365 | 5820 | 5903 |
| 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 Roorkee 587 (2026). How to read cutoffs →
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 Roorkee: SC, ST and PwD: no tuition. Family income below ₹1 lakh: no tuition; ₹1–5 lakh: ₹33,333 per semester (two-thirds remitted)..
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 Roorkee: Per semester: accommodation ₹5,000 + electricity ₹2,500; mess advance ₹21,750.
The first-semester bill is higher at IIT Kanpur than at IIT Roorkee by ₹2,865. How fee waivers work →
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 Roorkee
- Institute Instrumentation Centre (IIC): SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, NMR and more
iitr.ac.in (2026)
For industry consultancy, IIT Roorkee earns the most of the two. Sponsored vs consultancy →
IIT Roorkee: what these numbers mean
Tuition is ₹1,00,000 per semester, the same as other IITs. With hostel and mess, the first semester comes to ₹1,55,550 for general students. If your family earns under ₹1 lakh a year, or you are SC, ST or PwD, you pay no tuition. Between ₹1 lakh and ₹5 lakh, tuition drops to ₹33,333. In the NIRF 2025 data, 769 of 1,102 four-year B.Tech graduates of 2023-24 were placed, at a median of ₹17 lakh. Another 333 went on to higher studies. Research is a real strength: ₹117.45 crore in sponsored research and ₹130.36 crore in consultancy in FY 2023-24. That consultancy figure is the highest in this batch. The Institute Instrumentation Centre gives researchers SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS and NMR machines. Check the cutoff table for the branch you want. At a big IIT, the branch often matters more than the name.How to choose
- Rank first, name second. CSE OPEN closing ranks: IIT Kanpur 283 (2026), IIT Roorkee 587 (2026).
- They have 6 branch names in common. Shortlist by branch before institute.
- The first-semester bill is higher at IIT Kanpur than at IIT Roorkee by ₹2,865. How fee waivers work →
- IIT Kanpur is in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh; IIT Roorkee is in Roorkee, Uttarakhand. Weigh travel and living costs.
FAQ
Which is better, IIT Kanpur or IIT Roorkee?
On NIRF 2025 Overall, IIT Kanpur is #5 and IIT Roorkee is #7. Your branch matters more than this gap.
Is the B.Tech fee the same at IIT Kanpur and IIT Roorkee?
Both charge ₹1,00,000 per semester.
Which has better placements, IIT Kanpur or IIT Roorkee?
IIT Kanpur has the higher UG median: ₹21.7 lakh vs ₹17 lakh (NIRF).
How many CSE seats do IIT Kanpur and IIT Roorkee have?
IIT Kanpur: 129. IIT Roorkee: 109.
Which does more research, IIT Kanpur or IIT Roorkee?
Sponsored research: IIT Kanpur ₹363.43 crore, IIT Roorkee ₹117.45 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
- iitr.ac.in › History
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › InstProfile
- iitr.ac.in
- iitr.ac.in › UGIst.pdf
- nirfindia.org › IR-O-U-0560.pdf
- iitr.ac.in › Institute Instrumentation Centre
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › openingclosingrankarchieve
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › CurrentORCR
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