IIT Kharagpur vs IIT Palakkad: Courses, Seats, Cutoffs, Fees, Placements and Research (2026)
IIT Kharagpur attracts 4.5 times as much research funding (₹162.10 crore, FY 2023-24 vs ₹35.94 crore, FY 2024-25; different data years). IIT Kharagpur does 5.7 times as much consultancy business (₹46.15 crore, FY 2023-24 vs ₹8.08 crore, FY 2024-25; different data years). IIT Kharagpur employs 6.0 times as much faculty (895, NIRF 2025 vs 149, NIRF 2026; different data years).
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 Kharagpur | IIT Palakkad | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Established (year) | 1951 | 2015 | JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Location (city, state) | Kharagpur, West Bengal | Kanjikode, Palakkad, Kerala | josaa.admissions.nic.in JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Campus area | Not published | 500 acres | JoSAA 2026 institute profile |
| Official website | iitkgp.ac.in | iitpkd.ac.in | iitkgp.ac.in |
| NIRF Overall rank | 6 | Not published | NIRF 2025 |
| NIRF Engineering rank | 5 | 64 | NIRF 2025 |
| B.Tech tuition per semester | ₹1,00,000 | ₹1,00,000 | 2026-27 (tentative) 2026-27 |
| Fee waiver notes | SC, ST and PwD: no tuition. Family income below ₹1 lakh: no tuition; ₹1–5 lakh: ₹33,333. | SC, ST and PwD: tuition waived. | 2026-27 (tentative) 2026-27 |
| Hostel / mess fee | Per semester: hall establishment ₹24,354 + mess ₹14,500 + hostel overhead ₹1,177 | Per semester: hostel seat rent ₹6,500; advance dining charges ₹20,000 (first semester) | 2026-27 (tentative) 2026-27 |
| Total JoSAA seats | 1,949 | 280 | JoSAA 2026 |
| UG 4-year median salary | ₹19.76 lakh | ₹12 lakh | 2023-24 2024-25 |
| UG 4-year placed / graduated | 517 placed of 668 graduates | 104 placed of 142 graduates | 2023-24 2024-25 |
| UG 5-year (dual) median salary | ₹20 lakh | Not published | 2023-24 |
| PG 2-year median salary | ₹14 lakh | ₹10.8 lakh | 2023-24 2024-25 |
| PG 2-year placed | 679 | 47 | 2023-24 2024-25 |
| UG 4-year went for higher studies | 83 | 15 | 2023-24 2024-25 |
| Total UG 4-year students | 4,096 | Not published | 2023-24 |
| Faculty count | 895 | 149 | NIRF 2025 NIRF 2026 |
| Full-time PhD students | 3,635 | 234 | 2023-24 2024-25 |
| Full-time PhDs graduated | 519 | Not published | 2023-24 |
| Sponsored research received | ₹162.10 crore | ₹35.94 crore | FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25 |
| Consultancy received | ₹46.15 crore | ₹8.08 crore | FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25 |
How IIT Kharagpur and IIT Palakkad differ
- IIT Kharagpur attracts 4.5 times as much research funding (₹162.10 crore, FY 2023-24 vs ₹35.94 crore, FY 2024-25; different data years).
- IIT Kharagpur does 5.7 times as much consultancy business (₹46.15 crore, FY 2023-24 vs ₹8.08 crore, FY 2024-25; different data years).
- IIT Kharagpur employs 6.0 times as much faculty (895, NIRF 2025 vs 149, NIRF 2026; different data years).
- IIT Kharagpur has 15.5 times as much full-time PhD students (3,635, 2023-24 vs 234, 2024-25; different data years).
- IIT Kharagpur has a 596% bigger JoSAA intake (1,949 vs 280, JoSAA 2026).
- The latest published 4-year UG median salary is ₹19.76 lakh at IIT Kharagpur (2023-24) and ₹12 lakh at IIT Palakkad (2024-25). The years differ, so compare with care.
- Same tuition at both: ₹1,00,000 per semester.
- IIT Kharagpur ranks higher in NIRF 2025 Engineering (5 vs 64).
- IIT Kharagpur has more 4-year B.Tech CSE seats (140 vs 50).
- Only IIT Kharagpur offers Aerospace Engineering, Agricultural and Food Engineering, Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering 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 Kharagpur
- B.Tech (4 years)
- B.S. (4 years)
- B.Arch (5 years)
IIT Palakkad
- B.Tech (4 years)
Seats per branch
| Branch | IIT Kharagpur | IIT Palakkad |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | 70 | Not offered |
| Agricultural and Food Engineering | 93 | Not offered |
| Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering | 70 | Not offered |
| Chemical Engineering | 115 | Not offered |
| Civil Engineering | 119 | 50 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 140 | 50 |
| Electrical Engineering | 113 | 50 |
| Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering | 150 | Not offered |
| Instrumentation Engineering | 44 | Not offered |
| Manufacturing Science and Engineering | 66 | Not offered |
| Mechanical Engineering | 172 | 50 |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | 93 | 30 |
| Mining Engineering | 113 | Not offered |
| Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture | 80 | Not offered |
| Industrial and Systems Engineering | 72 | Not offered |
| Artificial Intelligence | 50 | Not offered |
| Biomedical Engineering | 30 | Not offered |
| B.S. Chemistry | 45 | Not offered |
| B.S. Economics | 59 | Not offered |
| B.S. Physics | 49 | Not offered |
| B.S. Mathematics and Computing | 69 | Not offered |
| B.S. Applied Geology | 52 | Not offered |
| B.S. Exploration Geophysics | 45 | Not offered |
| B.Arch (5 years) | 40 | Not offered |
| Data Science and Engineering | Not offered | 50 |
Source: JoSAA 2026 · JoSAA 2026
IIT Kharagpur and IIT Palakkad share 5 branch names; the rest are offered by only one of them. How seats are counted →
JoSAA cutoffs: opening and closing ranks
OPEN closing ranks, 2024–2026. Lower is harder.
| Branch | IIT Kharagpur | IIT Palakkad | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
| Aerospace Engineering | 4745 | 4872 | 5297 | – | – | – |
| Agricultural and Food Engineering | 10770 | 11111 | 12603 | – | – | – |
| Applied Geology | 12893 | 13685 | 15872 | – | – | – |
| Architecture (5-yr) | 20427 | 19141 | 24582 | – | – | – |
| Artificial Intelligence | 898 | 953 | 1043 | – | – | – |
| Biomedical Engineering | – | – | 10089 | – | – | – |
| Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering | 7972 | 9224 | 10683 | – | – | – |
| Chemical Engineering | 4848 | 5222 | 5803 | – | – | – |
| Chemistry | 12488 | 12321 | 14760 | – | – | – |
| Civil Engineering | 6992 | 7774 | 8816 | 15812 | 16753 | 18196 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | 415 | 466 | 509 | 6199 | 6454 | 7625 |
| Data Science and Engineering | – | – | – | 8084 | 8640 | 9484 |
| Economics | 5263 | 6063 | 6450 | – | – | – |
| Electrical Engineering | 2016 | 1985 | 2190 | 9625 | 10396 | 10926 |
| Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering | 1448 | 1485 | 1660 | – | – | – |
| Exploration Geophysics | 12413 | 12443 | 14923 | – | – | – |
| Industrial and Systems Engineering | 4364 | 4329 | 4699 | – | – | – |
| Instrumentation Engineering | 2481 | 2741 | 2600 | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing Science and Engineering | 6067 | 6547 | 6984 | – | – | – |
| Materials Engineering | 7104 | 7708 | 8502 | – | – | 18397 |
| Mathematics and Computing | 1329 | 1336 | 1428 | – | – | – |
| Mechanical Engineering | 3613 | 4016 | 4588 | 12540 | 12606 | 14360 |
| Mining Engineering | 10218 | 10765 | 11962 | – | – | – |
| Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture | 9098 | 10074 | 11219 | – | – | – |
| Physics | 9672 | 10939 | 9572 | – | – | – |
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 Kharagpur 509 (2026), IIT Palakkad 7,625 (2026). Opening and closing ranks explained →
Fees
Fee waiver notes: IIT Kharagpur: SC, ST and PwD: no tuition. Family income below ₹1 lakh: no tuition; ₹1–5 lakh: ₹33,333.. IIT Palakkad: SC, ST and PwD: tuition waived..
Hostel / mess fee: IIT Kharagpur: Per semester: hall establishment ₹24,354 + mess ₹14,500 + hostel overhead ₹1,177. IIT Palakkad: Per semester: hostel seat rent ₹6,500; advance dining charges ₹20,000 (first semester).
Research, labs and projects
Notable labs / facilities
IIT Kharagpur
- Central Research Facility (CRF), open to outside organisations
- Central Library, one of the largest technical libraries in Asia
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 Kharagpur earns the most of the two. Research money, explained →
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
- Start with the cutoffs: can your rank reach the branch you want? CSE OPEN closing ranks: IIT Kharagpur 509 (2026), IIT Palakkad 7,625 (2026).
- IIT Kharagpur and IIT Palakkad share 5 branch names; the rest are offered by only one of them. Look for your branch in both lists.
- IIT Kharagpur is in Kharagpur, West Bengal; IIT Palakkad is in Kanjikode, Palakkad, Kerala. City and cost of living count too.
FAQ
Is the B.Tech fee the same at IIT Kharagpur and IIT Palakkad?
Yes: ₹1,00,000 tuition per semester at both.
Which has better placements, IIT Kharagpur or IIT Palakkad?
By median pay, IIT Kharagpur leads (₹19.76 lakh against ₹12 lakh).
How many CSE seats do IIT Kharagpur and IIT Palakkad have?
IIT Kharagpur: 140. IIT Palakkad: 50.
Which does more research, IIT Kharagpur or IIT Palakkad?
IIT Kharagpur, by sponsored research money: ₹162.10 crore vs ₹35.94 crore.
Sources
- josaa.admissions.nic.in › InstProfile
- iitkgp.ac.in
- nirfindia.org › OverallRanking
- nirfindia.org › EngineeringRanking
- nirfindia.org › IR-O-U-0573.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
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