JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) conducts a centralized counselling process at the national level for admissions into IITs, NITs, IIITs, IIEST, and various other Government-Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs). Entry into IITs is determined by candidates’ performance in JEE Advanced 2025, while admissions to NITs, IIITs, IIEST, and GFTIs are based on JEE Main 2025 scores.
In addition, select IITs offer alternative admission channels for students who excel in areas such as Olympiads, sports, and the arts. These special admission channels allow eligible candidates to secure undergraduate seats based on exceptional achievements beyond academics.
IIT Admissions via Olympiad, Sports, and Arts Achievements
For the academic year 2025- 26, certain Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will offer undergraduate admissions. Eligible students can refer to the list of IITs participating in these alternative admission pathways based on excellence in these areas:
IIT Madras
IIT Madras offers undergraduate admissions through three specialized excellence pathways. Candidates interested in applying via the Sports Excellence Admission (SEA) route can do so by visiting ugadmissions.iitm.ac.in/sea. This platform also enables applicants to include programs offered by IIT Indore in their list of preferences.
For those aiming to apply under the Fine Arts and Culture Excellence (FACE) category, the application form is available at ugadmissions.iitm.ac.in/face. This admission route is only applicable to IIT Madras undergraduate programs.
Students eligible for the Science Olympiad Excellence (SCOPE) pathway can apply at ugadmissions.iitm.ac.in/scope. This channel is also limited to undergraduate programs at IIT Madras.
IIT Kanpur
For the 2025–26 academic session, IIT Kanpur will admit students through the Olympiad channel. Complete details about the admission criteria and process can be accessed in the official Admission Notification PDF. Applications must be submitted via the Olympiad Admission Portal at https://pingala.iitk.ac.in/OL_UGADM/login.
IIT Gandhinagar
IIT Gandhinagar will also be admitting students through the Olympiad admission pathway. Full details about the application process are available on their official page: iitgn.ac.in/admissions/btech-olympiad.
IIT Bombay
IIT Bombay offers admission to its Bachelor of Science in Mathematics program through the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO). Detailed information regarding this admission process can be found at: math.iitb.ac.in/Academics/bs_programme.php.
IIT Indore
IIT Indore admits candidates under the Sports Excellence Admission (SEA) category. Interested applicants should refer to the admission guidelines available at https://academic.iiti.ac.in/sea/. The application must be submitted through the centralized SEA portal managed by IIT Madras, accessible at https://ugadmissions.iitm.ac.in/sea.
