IIT Kharagpur 2026: Campus, Rankings, Courses, Hostels & Alumni

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, commonly known as IIT KGP, is India’s first IIT and one of the most respected technical universities in the country. It is a public research university established by the Government of India and is recognised as an Institute of National Importance.

IIT Kharagpur was formally inaugurated on August 18, 1951, by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. It started with 224 students and 42 faculty members across 10 departments, operating from the historic Hijli Detention Camp building in Kharagpur, West Bengal. On September 15, 1956, the Parliament of India passed the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) Act, giving the institute the status of an Institute of National Importance and an autonomous university. In 2019, the Government of India also designated IIT Kharagpur as an Institute of Eminence.

IIT Kharagpur: Overview

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, or IIT Kharagpur offers nearly 15 engineering courses. To get more details related to IIT Kharagpur, candidates must refer to the table below:

Where Is IIT Kharagpur Located?

IIT Kharagpur is located in Kharagpur, which falls under the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. The campus sits approximately 120 kilometres southwest of Kolkata. It is five kilometres to the south of Kharagpur railway station, which is well-connected to Kolkata via the Howrah-Mumbai main line. The full address is: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal – 721302. Students travelling from Kolkata can reach the campus by train in roughly two hours.

IIT Kharagpur Campus

The IIT Kharagpur campus is the largest among all IITs in India. The picturesque campus spreads over 2,100 acres and is lined with tree-lined avenues. It is a self-contained township with over 15,000 inhabitants, including students, faculty, and staff.

The campus is located five kilometres south of Kharagpur railway station, away from urban noise and pollution. It has greenery, natural parks, and water bodies within its boundaries.

The campus includes restaurants, banks, stadiums, a gymnasium, hospitals, a post office, a railway reservation counter, schools, a market, travel agents, clubs, and a swimming pool — all within the campus boundaries. The layout of buildings creates a dynamic connection between educational, recreational, and residential spaces.

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IIT Kharagpur Main Building (Shaheed Bhawan)

The classrooms, laboratories, and Administrative Office were first housed in the historic Hijli Detention Camp building. In March 1952, Pandit Nehru laid the foundation stone of the new main building. The Shaheed Bhawan was later converted into a museum in 1990. The campus design was carried out under the guidance of Swiss architect Dr. Werner M. Moser.

The Srinivasa Ramanujan Complex is another academic complex of the institute, which includes Takshashila (operational from 2002) and Vikramshila (operational from 2003).

IIT Kharagpur Library

IIT Kharagpur’s Central Library is located in the main building of the institute and has one of the largest technical library collections in Asia. When it opened in 1951, it had 2,500 books. Today it has six halls and a dedicated section for SC and ST students.

The library’s collection includes books, reports, conference proceedings, back volumes of periodicals, standards, theses, microforms, CD-ROMs, and audio-visual material. It has an automated transaction service and an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) for online searches.

IIT Kharagpur also hosts the National Digital Library of India (NDL), a Government of India initiative that provides access to millions of educational resources for learners across the country.

IIT Kharagpur Hostels

The 21 Halls of Residence at IIT Kharagpur are a defining part of campus life for KGPians. The institute has 16 halls for boys and 5 halls for girls, spread across the 2,100-acre campus. The following hall names are sourced from the official IIT KGP campus-life page at international.iitkgp.ac.in.

Campus Facilities and Eateries

The IIT Kharagpur campus is entirely self-sustained. On-campus eating options include restaurants like Billoos (famous for its Punjabi food), Dreamland-Sahara, Hot Bite, and Heritage. Retail chains like Cafe Coffee Day, Baskin Robbins, and Subway also operate within the campus.

The campus has its own Technology Market (Tech Market) where students can find evening snacks, sweets, and daily essentials. Bengali sweet shops in the Tech Market are popular among students. Some eateries are open overnight; others serve hot food from early morning.

IIT KGP has a Food Monitoring Committee that ensures proper quality food is served hygienically at fair prices at all campus eateries.

Health and Wellness

The campus hospital at IIT Kharagpur provides primary healthcare including curative, preventive, and health promotion services using modern and cost-effective techniques. IIT Kharagpur students are covered under a medical insurance scheme. For specialised treatment, the institute has a referral arrangement with hospitals in Kolkata.

The institute has also set up a Students’ Counselling Centre to provide support to students experiencing emotional or psychological conditions that affect their regular activities on campus. The holistic well-being of students, covering both physical and mental health, is stated as a top priority of the institute.

IIT Kharagpur Research Park

The IIT Kharagpur Research Park provides an integrated ecosystem to facilitate collaborative research, entrepreneurship, training programs, and community engagement. It offers state-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities to foster interdisciplinary projects.

The Research Park engages with industry leaders and international research institutions for development and commercialisation of innovative products and services. It provides advanced infrastructure to incubate technology-driven start-ups through mentorship, resources, and access to funding opportunities. It leverages IIT KGP’s proximity to Kolkata as the business and educational hub of eastern India.

IIT Kharagpur also established the first Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park in the IIT system, alongside the Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC) cell, which manages research activities across the institute.

ERP IIT Kharagpur

IIT Kharagpur uses an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to manage academic, administrative, and financial operations across the institute. Students and faculty access course registrations, attendance records, grades, fee payments, and academic calendars through the ERP portal.

The ERP system is accessible at erp.iitkgp.ac.in. New students receive login credentials during the admission and orientation process. The UG curricula list, semester schedules, and academic details are also available through the ERP portal.

IIT Kharagpur B.Tech Courses

IIT Kharagpur offers 15 B.Tech programs at the undergraduate level. All admissions are through JEE Advanced. The full UG curricula list is available on the official ERP portal at erp.iitkgp.ac.in.

The institute’s academics page states that disciplines are offered across 19 Departments, 13 Schools, and 9 Centres of Excellence, with a wide range of multidisciplinary courses available across them.

Students are encouraged to explore options beyond their admitted discipline. The institute supports this through web-enabled classrooms, a Virtual Learning Environment, Learning Management Tools including Moodle, discussion forums, and best-in-class technical facilities.

IIT Kharagpur B.Tech (4-Year) Programs

The following 15 B.Tech programs are offered at IIT Kharagpur. This list is sourced from the official IIT KGP ERP curricula page (erp.iitkgp.ac.in).

IIT Kharagpur offers several B.Tech branches not available at most other IITs. Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture, Mining Engineering, Agricultural and Food Engineering, and Manufacturing Science and Engineering are notable examples. The Artificial Intelligence B.Tech is one of the newer additions to the program list.

Each B.Tech student can also pursue a Minor in a subject outside their main department and earn additional credits through Micro-Specialisation. These academic structures were first introduced at IIT Kharagpur before being adopted across the IIT system.

Other UG Programs

Beyond the 15 B.Tech programs, IIT KGP also offers a B.Arch (5-year) through the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning. The Dual Degree programs (35 programs) allow students to earn a combined B.Tech and M.Tech in five years. Integrated M.Sc. and BS programs are also available in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computing, and Economics.

IIT Kharagpur B.Tech Admission Eligibility

Admission to all B.Tech programs at IIT Kharagpur is conducted through written entrance examinations as stated on the official website.

For Indian students, the eligibility conditions are:

• Candidates must qualify in the Joint Entrance Examination Advanced (JEE Advanced), conducted by the Joint Admission Board (JAB). JEE Advanced is conducted across India and in select foreign locations that may vary year to year.
• 15% of seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) students. 7.5% of seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students. An additional 27% separate reservation exists for Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL) candidates. Persons with Disability (PwD) reservations also apply as per Government of India norms.
• SC and ST students are fully exempted from payment of tuition fees as per institute rules.
• For international students (Foreign Nationals), candidates who are not citizens of India by birth or naturalisation (excluding OCI/PIO candidates) are classified as Foreign Nationals. They are not required to appear in JEE Main and may register for JEE Advanced directly.
• For OCI/PIO candidates, those who have studied or are studying at the 10+2 level or equivalent in India or abroad at the time of registering for JEE Advanced are not required to write JEE Main and may register directly for JEE Advanced. OCI/PIO candidates are treated as Indian nationals as per the Supreme Court of India’s decision dated February 3, 2023 (Writ Petition Civil 891/2021).
• Complete eligibility details are available on the official JEE Advanced website.

Programs available through JEE Advanced at IIT KGP: Qualifying candidates can apply for admission to a four-year B.Tech degree, a five-year B.Arch degree, a five-year Dual Degree (Integrated B.Tech and M.Tech), or a five-year Integrated M.Sc. program.

IIT Kharagpur Admission: B.Tech

Admission to B.Tech programs at IIT Kharagpur is through JEE Advanced, conducted by the Joint Admission Board (JAB). This is the same process followed across all IITs.

As stated on the official IIT KGP study programmes page, candidates who qualify for admission through IIT-JEE can apply for a four-year B.Tech degree, a five-year B.Arch degree, a five-year Dual Degree (Integrated B.Tech and M.Tech), or a five-year Integrated M.Sc.

15% of seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) students and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students. An additional 27% separate reservation exists for Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL).

Foreign nationals who are not Indian citizens are classified separately under the admission rules. OCI/PIO candidates who have studied at the 10+2 level in India or abroad may directly register for JEE Advanced without appearing in JEE Main.

IIT Kharagpur Rankings

IIT Kharagpur is consistently ranked among the top engineering institutions in India and holds a strong position globally.

NIRF Rankings 2025

To check the NIRF Ranking of IIT Kharagpur, candidates can refer to the table below:

QS World University Rankings

IIT Kharagpur was ranked 215th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026. It was ranked 45th in QS WUR Ranking by Subject and 202nd in the QS Sustainability Rankings. You may want to verify these figures at topuniversities.com, as QS rankings are updated annually.

Year-wise NIRF Overall Rank

IIT Kharagpur’s Architecture and Planning department has ranked in the top 3 nationally for multiple consecutive years. Its Engineering program has consistently held a top 5 position in NIRF.

IIT Kharagpur Fee Structure

For Indian students, the B.Tech tuition fee at IIT Kharagpur is approximately ₹1,00,000 per semester for General, OBC-NCL, and EWS category students with family income above ₹5 lakh per year. SC and ST students are fully exempted from tuition fees. Students from families with income between ₹1 lakh and ₹5 lakh per year receive a partial fee waiver as per Government of India norms.

The following additional fees apply to all students. These figures are from the official IIT KGP international admissions page (2022-23) and are indicative. All fees are subject to revision.

The total 4-year B.Tech cost for an Indian General category student including hostel is approximately ₹8–10 lakh. Verify this from JoSAA 2026 fee disclosures before relying on this figure.

IIT Kharagpur Scholarships

IIT Kharagpur provides extensive financial support to students through institute scholarships, government schemes, alumni-funded programs, and international scholarships. The institute’s financial assistance page states that more than 1,000 students receive scholarships on a Merit-cum-Means basis and close to 1,000 students receive financial assistance from corporations, foundations, and external agencies.

1. Merit-cum-Means (MCM) Scholarship

The MCM scholarship is the primary institute-level scholarship for UG students at IIT Kharagpur. It includes a tuition fee waiver and is awarded on both merit and financial need. Key eligibility conditions sourced from the official iitkgp.ac.in/scholarships page are:

For fresh entrants, the student must have secured at least 60% marks in the qualifying examination for JEE Advanced. For renewal, the student’s GPA across two consecutive semesters must meet the prescribed threshold. No disciplinary action should be pending or taken against the student. The student must not have been involved in examination malpractice or code of conduct violations.

The annual family income criterion follows the upper limit laid down by the Government of India from time to time. An annual family income certificate or copy of the Income Tax Return for the preceding financial year must be submitted at the time of application and renewal.

2. Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Full Ride Scholarship

IIT Kharagpur has instituted what it describes as India’s first full-ride scholarship for B.Tech students. Named the “Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Full Scholarship for Top 100 JEE (Advanced) Rankers,” it is available to students who rank within the top 100 in JEE Advanced and whose parents’ gross annual income is below ₹20 lakh.

This scholarship covers the entire cost of education including institution fees, hall expenses, textbooks, meals, gadgets, miscellaneous expenses, relocation expenses, and an out-of-pocket allowance. It was implemented from the academic session 2021-22.

3. Central Government Scholarships

UG students at IIT Kharagpur are eligible for central government scholarship schemes. These include INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) from DST for students in basic sciences programs, and KVPY (Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana) from DST, also for basic sciences students.

4. Endowment and Alumni-Funded Scholarships

IIT Kharagpur has hundreds of endowment prizes and free tuition opportunities funded through alumni donations. These cover the best students across various batches and departments. Details are listed at iitkgp.ac.in/scholarships.

5. Student Brotherhood Fund

The Student Brotherhood Fund promotes unity within the student community at IIT Kharagpur. It provides “Loans of Honour” (interest-free, to be repaid) and Donations (non-refundable) to deserving students to meet educational or medical expenses.

6. Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) Internship Programme – For Domestic Students

This program, sourced directly from the official international.iitkgp.ac.in/scholarships/gkif page, supports meritorious UG and PG (including PhD) students from all departments for high-quality international research and professional internships at well-recognised universities outside India. Students from the Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering department receive highest priority in the mandatory internship category. Third-year students are given priority over second-year students for optional internships.

GKF provides financial support of up to USD 5,000 per awardee. The call for applications is normally released in February or March each year. The student must have no disciplinary action on record and must obtain a No Objection Certificate from the competent authority.

7. Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) Postgraduate Scholarship – For International Students

For self-funded international postgraduate students, GKF awards scholarships of up to INR 25,000 per month to cover tuition fees, hostel charges, mess charges, and living expenses. Eligibility requires a CGPA of at least 8.5 with no backlogs and no disciplinary record. The student must not be receiving any other financial support from the institute or an outside sponsor. The call is normally released in January each year and the scholarship is awarded for one year, with the option to reapply.

8. Shri Gopal Rajgarhia International Programme (SGRIP)

The SGRIP endowment fund was created from a donation by Shri Gopal Rajgarhia (B.Tech 1968, Chemical Engineering, IIT KGP). It supports schemes to enhance international participation at IIT Kharagpur. Under SGRIP, financial assistance is provided for international travel for research projects, volunteer programs, international competitions and conferences, and international internships and co-op placements.

IIT Kharagpur Notable Alumni

IIT Kharagpur has produced leaders across technology, business, public policy, entertainment, and the arts.

• Sundar Pichai (B.Tech, Metallurgical Engineering, 1993) is the CEO of Alphabet Inc. and Google. He earned his M.S. from Stanford University in materials science and engineering and his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
• Pradeep Kumar Khosla (B.Tech, IIT KGP) is the Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego, and a computer scientist and university administrator.
• Arvind Kejriwal, former Chief Minister of Delhi, is a B.Tech graduate from IIT Kharagpur.
• Duvvuri Subbarao, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, is an IIT KGP alumnus.
• Vinod Gupta, founder of InfoUSA, majored in Agricultural Engineering from IIT Kharagpur.
• Rono Dutta (CEO, InterGlobe Aviation / IndiGo Airlines), Suhas Patil (founder, Cirrus Logic), and Arunabh Kumar (co-founder, The Viral Fever / TVF) are among other prominent alumni. The students and alumni of IIT Kharagpur are referred to as KGPians.

Why Is IIT Kharagpur Good?

IIT Kharagpur is the oldest and largest IIT in India. Several academic programs and structures now common across IITs were first introduced here — including the Dual Degree program, the Minor program, and Micro-Specialisation credits. The first Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park in the IIT system was also established at IIT Kharagpur.

Its NIRF 2025 ranking stands at 6th Overall and 5th in Engineering. Its Architecture program ranks 3rd nationally. The QS World University Ranking 2026 places it at 215th globally.

The campus offers a complete residential university experience with academic, research, sports, cultural, and wellness infrastructure all within the 2,100-acre township. For students interested in fields like Architecture, Ocean Engineering, Mining Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, or Artificial Intelligence alongside core branches like CSE and EE, IIT KGP offers a depth and breadth of options not found at most other IITs.

Frequently Asked Questions