IIT Kanpur vs IIT Ropar: Courses, Seats, Cutoffs, Fees, Placements and Research (2026)
IIT Kanpur leads on sponsored research by 905% (₹363.43 crore vs ₹36.16 crore, FY 2024-25). IIT Kanpur earned 10.0 times as much from consultancy (₹113.61 crore vs ₹11.41 crore, FY 2024-25). IIT Kanpur has 3.2 times as much faculty (636 vs 196, NIRF 2026).
Last updated: 14 Oct 2026.
Who should pick which (our analysis)
IIT Ropar
Our analysis: IIT Ropar suits you if computing is your goal and you want more seats to aim for. It has 120 seats each in CSE and Electrical, 100 in Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering, and 80 in Mathematics and Computing. Smaller new branches include Digital Agriculture and Electrical Engineering (Integrated Circuit Design and Technology).At a glance
Swipe sideways. The first column stays put.
| Point | IIT Kanpur | IIT Ropar | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Established (year) | 1959 | 2008 | JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Location (city, state) | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh | Rupnagar, Punjab | josaa.admissions.nic.in JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Campus area | 1,055 acres | 525 acres | JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Official website | iitk.ac.in | iitrpr.ac.in | iitk.ac.in |
| NIRF Overall rank | 5 | 56 | NIRF 2025 |
| NIRF Engineering rank | 4 | 32 | 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). | All SC and ST students: 100% tuition waiver. | 2026-27 |
| Hostel / mess fee | Mess establishment charges ₹13,360 (first semester); seat rent and hall charges are inside the ₹13,855 semester fee | Hostel establishment fee ₹3,000 per semester; mess about ₹23,520 per semester (paid in advance) | 2026-27 |
| Total JoSAA seats | 1,240 | 696 | JoSAA 2026 |
| UG 4-year median salary | ₹21.7 lakh | ₹18 lakh | 2024-25 |
| UG 4-year placed / graduated | 855 placed of 1,205 graduates | 258 placed of 321 graduates | 2024-25 |
| PG 2-year median salary | ₹15.7 lakh | ₹9 lakh | 2024-25 |
| PG 2-year placed | 674 | 69 | 2024-25 |
| UG 4-year went for higher studies | 257 | 47 | 2024-25 |
| Total UG 4-year students | 4,932 | Not published | 2024-25 |
| Faculty count | 636 | 196 | NIRF 2026 |
| Full-time PhD students | 2,172 | 810 | 2024-25 |
| Full-time PhDs graduated | 294 | Not published | 2024-25 |
| Sponsored research received | ₹363.43 crore | ₹36.16 crore | FY 2024-25 |
| Consultancy received | ₹113.61 crore | ₹11.41 crore | FY 2024-25 |
How IIT Kanpur and IIT Ropar differ
- IIT Kanpur leads on sponsored research by 905% (₹363.43 crore vs ₹36.16 crore, FY 2024-25).
- IIT Kanpur earned 10.0 times as much from consultancy (₹113.61 crore vs ₹11.41 crore, FY 2024-25).
- IIT Kanpur has 3.2 times as much faculty (636 vs 196, NIRF 2026).
- IIT Kanpur enrols 2.7 times as much PhD scholars (2,172 vs 810, 2024-25).
- IIT Kanpur admits 78% more students through JoSAA (1,240 vs 696, JoSAA 2026).
- IIT Kanpur reported a ₹3.70 lakh higher 4-year UG median salary (₹21.7 lakh vs ₹18 lakh).
- Tuition is identical at ₹1,00,000 a semester.
- IIT Kanpur ranks higher in NIRF 2025 Overall (5 vs 56).
- IIT Kanpur ranks higher in NIRF 2025 Engineering (4 vs 32).
- IIT Kanpur has more 4-year B.Tech CSE seats (129 vs 120).
- Only IIT Kanpur offers Aerospace Engineering, Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Intelligent Systems among these two.
- Only IIT Ropar offers Engineering Physics, Engineering Science, Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering, Mathematics and Computing 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 Ropar
- B.Tech (4 years)
Seats per branch
| Branch | IIT Kanpur | IIT Ropar |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | 69 | Not offered |
| Biological Sciences and Bioengineering | 53 | Not offered |
| Chemical Engineering | 104 | 35 |
| Civil Engineering | 148 | 35 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 129 | 120 |
| Electrical Engineering | 192 | 120 |
| Materials Science and Engineering | 85 | 28 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 149 | 83 |
| 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 |
| Engineering Physics | Not offered | 25 |
| Engineering Science | Not offered | 30 |
| Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering | Not offered | 100 |
| Mathematics and Computing | Not offered | 80 |
| Digital Agriculture | Not offered | 20 |
| Electrical Engineering (Integrated Circuit Design and Technology) | Not offered | 20 |
Source: JoSAA 2026 · JoSAA 2026
6 branches appear at both IIT Kanpur and IIT Ropar. What seat counts tell you →
JoSAA cutoffs: opening and closing ranks
OPEN closing ranks, 2024–2026. Lower is harder.
| Branch | IIT Kanpur | IIT Ropar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
| Aerospace Engineering | 3638 | 3805 | 4015 | – | – | – |
| Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering | – | – | – | 2656 | 3500 | 4719 |
| Biological Sciences and Bioengineering | 6952 | 7105 | 7837 | – | – | – |
| Chemical Engineering | 4015 | 4280 | 4436 | 10097 | 10655 | 11670 |
| Chemistry | 10498 | 10482 | 11668 | – | – | – |
| Civil Engineering | 5948 | 6161 | 7177 | 11365 | 12488 | 14538 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 252 | 271 | 283 | 2379 | 2512 | 3214 |
| Digital Agriculture | – | – | – | – | 14480 | 15356 |
| Earth Sciences | 10058 | 10108 | 10774 | – | – | – |
| Economics | 3106 | 3310 | 3650 | – | – | – |
| Electrical Engineering | 1290 | 1146 | 1171 | 5528 | 6311 | 6599 |
| Electrical Engineering (Integrated Circuit Design and Technology) | – | – | – | – | 5527 | 5083 |
| Engineering Physics | – | – | – | 9142 | 9576 | 10879 |
| Engineering Science | – | – | – | – | – | 8459 |
| Intelligent Systems | – | – | 1134 | – | – | – |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | 6008 | 6337 | 6533 | 13009 | 13777 | 14773 |
| Mathematics and Computing | – | – | – | 3518 | 3954 | 4749 |
| Mathematics and Scientific Computing | 990 | 1179 | 1270 | – | – | – |
| Mechanical Engineering | 2776 | 2771 | 3178 | 8636 | 9115 | 10069 |
| 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 Ropar 3,214 (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 Ropar: All SC and ST students: 100% tuition waiver..
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 Ropar: Hostel establishment fee ₹3,000 per semester; mess about ₹23,520 per semester (paid in advance).
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 Ropar
- Centre for Innovation and Business Incubation (CIBI) with iHub-AWaDH
josaa.admissions.nic.in (JoSAA 2026 institute profile)
For industry consultancy, IIT Kanpur earns the most of the two. Why research funding matters →
IIT Ropar: what these numbers mean
Tuition is ₹1,00,000 per semester. The total at admission is ₹1,34,705. Hostel establishment is ₹3,000 a semester, and mess is about ₹23,520 a semester, paid in advance. All SC and ST students get a 100% tuition waiver. NIRF 2026 data (the Engineering file on iitrpr.ac.in) shows 258 of 321 four-year graduates placed in 2024-25, at a median of ₹18 lakh. 47 more went for higher studies. Sponsored research was ₹36.16 crore and consultancy ₹11.41 crore in FY 2024-25. The Centre for Innovation and Business Incubation, with the iHub-AWaDH hub, says it supports more than 200 start-ups. That is useful if you want to build a product while you study. For a fair comparison, check the cutoffs for CSE and AI here against similar IITs.How to choose
- Check your rank against the cutoff table first. CSE OPEN closing ranks: IIT Kanpur 283 (2026), IIT Ropar 3,214 (2026).
- 6 branches appear at both IIT Kanpur and IIT Ropar. Compare the branch you want, not just the name.
- IIT Kanpur is in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh; IIT Ropar is in Rupnagar, Punjab. Think about distance from home.
FAQ
Which is better, IIT Kanpur or IIT Ropar?
Neither is clearly better on paper: IIT Kanpur ranks 5 and IIT Ropar ranks 56 overall (NIRF 2025). Compare the branch you can get.
Is the B.Tech fee the same at IIT Kanpur and IIT Ropar?
Yes: ₹1,00,000 tuition per semester at both.
Which has better placements, IIT Kanpur or IIT Ropar?
By median pay, IIT Kanpur leads (₹21.7 lakh against ₹18 lakh).
How many CSE seats do IIT Kanpur and IIT Ropar have?
IIT Kanpur: 129. IIT Ropar: 120.
Which does more research, IIT Kanpur or IIT Ropar?
IIT Kanpur, by sponsored research money: ₹363.43 crore vs ₹36.16 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
- iitrpr.ac.in
- iitrpr.ac.in › eng 2026.pdf
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › openingclosingrankarchieve
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › CurrentORCR
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