Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar

About College:

The Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar (IITGN) was established in 2008. During the Eleventh 5- year plan, it was realized that there was a requirement to extend the number of elite institutions in the country. This included the IITs as well whose number till then was miniscule. Thus, 8 new IITs were established, while IT-BHU was upgraded to the IIT status. These new IITs have over a period of time gained in reputation and are fast closing the gap on the top incumbents. Lakhs of students from all over the country enrol themselves over countless hours of coaching classes in order to secure a seat at the IITs. These new IITs are in – Bhubaneshwar, Rupnagar, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Indore, Jodhpur, Patna and Mandi. A further few IITs have opened up later, known popularly as the ‘Baby IITs’. 

Securing a seat at the IITs is done through a rigorous selection process involving the JEE (Joint Entrance Examination). This is the largest entrance exam in the country in terms of numbers and possibly amongst the largest in the world. This paper is given by more than 12 lakh people annually. It is a 3- hour exam worth 90 marks constituting 3 segments with equal weightage. Those segments are- Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics. The best of the performers, totaling roughly 2 lakhs of them are further shortlisted for the JEE Advanced which is for selection to the IITs. The JEE Advanced is conducted over 2 rounds on the same day. The morning paper which runs from 9 am till noon is followed by a break and then another 3 hour one. The pattern however is not so well understood as the marks pattern is not clearly defined. It keeps changing annually. Admissions to the master’s level programmes is via the GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) for B. Tech and via the JAM for its MSc.

The IIT- Gandhinagar found the IIT- Bombay as its mentor in its early days. The classes were initially being held at a temporary location, before relocating to its present 400- acre spot on the banks of the Sabarmati river in the state of Gujarat itself. The courses of study here include the flagship 4- year B Tech., M. Tech, dual degree as well as doctoral programmes. Some non- degree programmes are also designed for industry professionals. There are seven areas of engineering that can be pursued over here, which are - Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Biological, Chemical, Computer Science & Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering. There are science courses as well which are- Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Cognitive Science and Earth Sciences. Realizing its importance over the coming years, the IIT- Madras even has a specialized Humanities and Social Sciences wing. 

An emphasis on the liberal arts makes the IITGN a unique place within the IIT fraternity. Besides these academic programmes, the IIT- Gandhinagar engages in several research activities. This involves certain interdisciplinary research centres which are for- Safety Engineering, Design & Innovation, Archaeological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Creative Learning, Cognitive Science and Sustainable Development. The IITGN also conducts a seminar series where talks are given by distinguished speakers. The faculty has regularly been published on international journals or in books’ chapters. All this and much more has led to the accumulation of highly favorable ranks. It found itself on 27th position among engineering colleges and 39th overall as part of the NIRF (National Institutional Rankings Framework) mechanism.

The campus isn’t all work and study alone, as there are a lot of fun activities that take place. Sakar for instance is an initiative to promote the pursuit of mathematics right form an early stage. A social initiative is Nyasa which is for the welfare of construction workers. Amalthea is the official tech summit of IITGN. Reaching out to the industry is the key plank of this initiative. Ignite is the official tech fest at the state- level. A lot of events are periodically organized just to keep the engagement levels high with the alumni. 

The institute may not be too old, but it has already created a vibrant alumni network. The alumni committee is in constant touch with the past students, improving the connect on a constant basis. This has helped generate top- notch placements for the present batches. Some of the recent years’ recruiters include- Cognizant, CIL, TCS, BPCL, HSBC, ZS Associates, HDFC, Piramal Foundation, Samsung, L&T, Wipro, Mphasis, IPAC, Bharat Forge, RIL, Dabur, Tata Motors, Flipkart, DRDO, Avanti, Maruti, Tata Power, Toppr, Future First, Ricoh, Hero Moto Corp and Goldman Sachs.