- IIT Kanpur ranks 222nd in the QS World University Rankings 2026 and fourth among engineering institutions in NIRF 2025
- B.Tech tuition for general and OBC students is 1,00,000 rupees per semester in 2025-26, with a first-semester total of 1,56,160 rupees
- JEE Advanced 2026 is scheduled for 17 May 2026
- MBA admission for the 2026-28 batch uses CAT 2025 scores with an 80 percentile cut-off for general candidates.
What Is IIT Kanpur and Why Does It Matter?
IIT Kanpur is a public technical institute established in 1959 at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and declared an Institute of National Importance. It teaches more than 9,500 students across engineering, science, management, design and humanities on a 1,055-acre residential campus, and ranks 222nd in the QS World University Rankings 2026.
The Indian Institutes of Technology are India's best-known engineering, research and management institutions, and IIT Kanpur is among the oldest of them. It was set up in 1959, making it one of the first five IITs founded in the country.
The institute's motto, Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya, translates as "Lead me from darkness to light." It captures what IIT Kanpur sets out to do: take students in as beginners and send them out with the knowledge and judgement to contribute meaningfully to society.
As of the 2024-25 academic year the institute enrolled over 5,000 undergraduate students, around 2,200 postgraduate students and around 2,350 PhD scholars, taught by 570 faculty members with a further 58 visiting faculty.
How Was IIT Kanpur Founded?
IIT Kanpur was registered on 2 November 1959 and began in borrowed premises at Harcourt Butler Technological Institute with about 100 students. Professor P. K. Kelkar served as its first director. Under the Kanpur Indo-American Programme from 1962 to 1972, a consortium of nine American universities helped build its academic foundations.
The Government of Uttar Pradesh provided land for a permanent campus in 1960, and the institute moved to its present site by March 1963. Architect Achyut Kanvinde designed the residential campus, turning open countryside into an academic complex while keeping much of the area's original tree cover.
The nine universities in the Kanpur Indo-American Programme consortium were the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California at Berkeley, the California Institute of Technology, Princeton University, the Carnegie Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, the Case Institute of Technology and Purdue University.
IIT Kharagpur: Courses, Ranking and AdmissionRead →What Is the IIT Kanpur Campus Like?
The IIT Kanpur campus covers 1,055 acres beside the Grand Trunk Road, west of Kanpur city in Uttar Pradesh. Architect Achyut Kanvinde designed its residential layout, and the institute moved there by March 1963. Nearly all students live on campus, among acacia woods, mango orchards and open sports grounds.
Because the campus is almost fully residential, hostel life shapes the student experience. Hobby clubs, cultural societies and sports clubs run through the year, and the gymnasium and playing fields are used heavily alongside academic work.
Techkriti, the institute's annual technology and entrepreneurship festival, was launched in 1995 and remains one of the larger student-run technical festivals in northern India.
Which Courses Does IIT Kanpur Offer?
IIT Kanpur offers four-year B.Tech and BS degrees plus dual-degree options in fields such as aerospace, chemical, civil, computer science, electrical, materials and mechanical engineering. Postgraduate offerings include M.Tech, MS by research, M.Des, MBA, two-year M.Sc, the M.Sc-PhD dual degree and PhD programmes across engineering, sciences, management and humanities.
Undergraduate Programmes
- Aerospace Engineering
- Biological Sciences and Bioengineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Science and Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Undergraduate admission is offered to the four-year degree, and eligible students may extend it by a year into a dual degree depending on their choice and their performance during the undergraduate programme.
Postgraduate Programmes
The postgraduate portfolio listed by the Dean of Academic Affairs covers M.Tech, MS by research, M.Des, MBA, the VLFM and DIIT programmes, PhD, the two-year M.Sc and the M.Sc-PhD dual degree. Beyond engineering and the sciences, the institute teaches management, design, humanities and social sciences.
Laboratories, the computer centre and the institute's research centres support these programmes, and PhD scholars are attached to departments across all faculties.
Bachelor of Engineering: Scope, Courses and CareersRead →How Do You Get Admission to IIT Kanpur?
Undergraduate admission runs through JEE Advanced, scheduled for 17 May 2026, followed by JoSAA counselling. M.Tech and MS by research need a valid GATE score with at least 55 percent marks or a 5.5 CPI. M.Sc admission uses the JAM examination, while MBA admission is based on CAT scores plus interviews.
For M.Tech and MS by research, the GATE requirement is waived for IIT B.Tech or BS graduates who hold an overall CPI of at least 6.5 together with a CPI of at least 8.0 in their final two years.
PhD applicants also need at least 55 percent marks or a 5.5 CPI in their qualifying degree. The qualifying examination varies by discipline and commonly includes GATE, CSIR or UGC NET, or a JRF award, with different requirements for engineering, sciences, humanities, management and design.
For MBA admission to the 2026-28 batch, candidates must appear for CAT 2025. The shortlisting cut-off is 80 percentile and above for general, EWS and OBC applicants and 55 percentile and above for SC, ST and PWD applicants.
- Bachelor's degree with 60 percent aggregate or a 6.0 CPI for general, EWS and OBC applicants
- Bachelor's degree with 50 percent aggregate or a 5.0 CPI for SC, ST and PWD applicants
- At least three years of education after Class 12 with Mathematics as one of the subjects
- 65 percent and above in the Class X and Class XII examinations for general categories
- Shortlisting on CAT percentile, then a group discussion and personal interview
What Is the IIT Kanpur Fee Structure?
For the 2025-26 session IIT Kanpur charges general and OBC B.Tech students tuition of one lakh rupees per semester, making the first-semester amount payable 1,56,160 rupees once admission fees, security deposit, semester fee and hostel charges are included. Economically backward students and SC, ST or PwD students pay considerably less.
| Fee Head for New B.Tech Students (2026 Intake) | Amount (INR) |
|---|---|
| Admission fees (one-time, non-refundable) | 5,200 |
| Security deposits (one-time, refundable) | 26,000 |
| Semester fee | 10,960 |
| Hostel charges (MEC) | 14,000 |
| Sub-total before tuition | 56,160 |
| Tuition fee, General or OBC (family income above 5 lakh) | 1,00,000 |
| Tuition fee, OEB (family income 1 lakh to 5 lakh) | 33,333 |
| Tuition fee, SC, ST, PwD and MEB | 0 |
| Total payable, General or OBC | 1,56,160 |
| Total payable, OEB | 89,493 |
| Total payable, SC, ST, PwD and MEB | 56,160 |
These are the figures published by the Dean of Students' Affairs for new JEE undergraduate students in the first semester. Tuition of one lakh rupees per semester works out to two lakh rupees a year for a general or OBC student.
The institute also runs income-linked tuition concessions, so the sticker price is not what most students in the lower income brackets actually pay.
| Concession Category (2026) | Tuition Fee Relief |
|---|---|
| MEB, annual family income below 1 lakh | 100 percent tuition fee waiver |
| OEB, annual family income between 1 lakh and 5 lakh | Charged one-third of the regular tuition fee |
| SC, ST and PwD students | Fully exempted from tuition fees |
| SC or ST with annual family income below 6 lakh | No seat rent charged |
What Financial Assistance Do PhD Scholars Get?
Full-time PhD scholars who are Indian nationals and not sponsored receive an institute stipend of 37,000 rupees a month for the first two years, rising to 42,000 rupees a month for the next three years. In return they assist with teaching or research duties for up to eight hours a week.
Scholars may instead hold assistantships from external funding agencies such as UGC, CSIR, NBHM, DBT, ICAR, ICMR or the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship. The institute also offers a set of fellowships supported by industry and the Department of Atomic Energy.
Where Does IIT Kanpur Rank?
IIT Kanpur placed 222nd in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Nationally it ranked fourth among engineering institutions in NIRF 2025 with a score of 81.82, and fifth in the NIRF 2025 overall category with a score of 77.25, behind IIT Madras, IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay.
| Ranking Table (as of 2026) | IIT Kanpur Position |
|---|---|
| QS World University Rankings 2026 | 222nd globally |
| NIRF 2025, Engineering | 4th, score 81.82 |
| NIRF 2025, Overall | 5th, score 77.25 |
In the QS World University Rankings 2026, India recorded 54 institutions on the global list. IIT Delhi led the Indian entries at 123rd, followed by IIT Bombay at 129th, IIT Madras at 180th, IIT Kharagpur at 215th and IIT Kanpur at 222nd.
How Are Placements at IIT Kanpur?
The Students' Placement Office coordinates recruitment at IIT Kanpur. Its published list of past recruiters spans technology, consulting, finance and manufacturing, including Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, McKinsey and Company, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, ISRO, Caterpillar and Unilever. The office runs campus placement in phases through the academic year for graduating students.
Rather than relying on media summaries, check the Students' Placement Office site directly for the recruiter list and the current placement season schedule, since branch-level outcomes vary a great deal between departments and between phases.
Past Recruiters Listed by the Placement Office
- Microsoft
- Amazon
- Nvidia
- Samsung
- Broadcom
- Analog Devices
- McKinsey and Company
- Accenture
- Deloitte
- Morgan Stanley
- Deutsche Bank
- HSBC
- ISRO
- General Electric
- Caterpillar
- Honda
- Mitsubishi
- TVS Motor Company
- Unilever
- ITC Limited