IIT Kanpur admits 5 students through Science Olympiads, without JEE Advanced

IIT Kanpur Admission: For the first time, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has admitted five students to its BTech and BS programmes based on their performance in international Science Olympiads and training camps and bypassing the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2025.

IIT Kanpur had first announced that it was going to open admission via this alternative route in November. This group was not required to write the JEE Advanced.

The valid competitions include the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), International Physics Olympiad (IPO), International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), International Biology Olympiad (IBO) and the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI).

IIT Kanpur Olympiad Admissions: States, subjects

IIT Kanpur has told Careers360 that two of the selected candidates were from International Olympiad in Informatics Training Camp (IOITC) and three of them from International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC).

The five belong to different states – two from West Bengal and one each from Delhi, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Through this pathway, IIT Kanpur has offered reserved seats in five departments, including biological sciences and bioengineering, computer science and engineering (BTech CSE), chemistry, economics and statistics.

This comes after IIT Madras introduced admission pathways for exceptional candidates in sports, fine arts and culture and science olympiads.

IIT Kanpur Science Olympiad Route: Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for admission through this pathway, candidates must meet the same age criteria as their counterparts coming via JEE Advanced – they must have written their Class 12 exam either in the year of admission or the year before, with physics, chemistry, and mathematics as compulsory subjects.

Further, the applicants must have attended Olympiad training in the subject they are applying to. Candidates who had previously been admitted into IITs through Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JOSAA) or had a cancelled IIT admission are not eligible.

The selection process itself involves two stages. First, each department reviews applications based on Olympiad rankings and shortlists candidates. Shortlisted candidates are then asked to sit for a mandatory written examination and, if required, also an interview.

An institute-level selection committee led by the dean of academic affairs, IIT Kanpur, consolidates the recommendations from each department and decides on admissions, ensuring seats are filled without overlap.