Which IIT is the Hardest to Get Into? Real Data on IIT JEE Competition

Every year, over 1.5 million students take the JEE Advanced exam hoping to get into one of India’s top engineering schools. But not all IITs are equally hard to get into. Some have acceptance rates so low they’re harder than Ivy League colleges. If you’re serious about cracking JEE, you need to know which IIT is the toughest - and why.

Why Some IITs Are Harder Than Others

The difficulty of getting into an IIT isn’t just about the exam score. It’s about how many people want in versus how many seats are available. The top IITs - like IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IIT Madras - have the highest demand, the best faculty, and the strongest placement records. That means more students compete for fewer seats.

For example, in 2024, IIT Bombay had about 1,400 seats for its B.Tech programs. But over 25,000 students scored high enough to be eligible for admission. That’s less than a 6% chance of getting in - even if you cleared JEE Advanced. Compare that to IIT Guwahati, which had over 2,000 seats and a 12% admission rate for the same group of top scorers.

The real bottleneck isn’t the exam difficulty. It’s the popularity. IITs with strong brand value, urban locations, and top recruiters like Google, Microsoft, and Goldman Sachs pull in the highest ranks. Students who score in the top 1,000 all dream of IIT Bombay or IIT Delhi. That’s why cutoffs there are brutal.

The Hardest IIT: IIT Bombay

Based on recent trends, IIT Bombay is the hardest IIT to get into. It consistently has the highest closing ranks for all major branches - Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and even Chemical Engineering.

In 2024, the last student admitted to Computer Science at IIT Bombay had an All India Rank (AIR) of 78. That means only 78 students out of 1.5 million got in. For comparison, the same branch at IIT Roorkee closed at AIR 312. At IIT Kharagpur, it was AIR 398.

Why? IIT Bombay’s placement stats speak for themselves. In 2024, the average package for Computer Science graduates was ₹38.5 lakhs per year. The highest offer was ₹2.1 crore from a global tech firm. More than 80% of CS students got jobs before graduation. That kind of outcome doesn’t happen by accident - it’s built over decades of industry trust.

Even non-CS branches at IIT Bombay are harder to get into than CS at other IITs. For example, the closing rank for Mechanical Engineering at IIT Bombay was AIR 185. At IIT Kanpur, the same branch closed at AIR 290. At IIT Delhi, it was AIR 225.

How the Cutoffs Work

There’s no official ranking of IITs by difficulty. But you can see the pattern clearly in the JoSAA counseling data. Each year, after JEE Advanced results, students fill their preferences. The system allocates seats based on rank and choice order.

Here’s what happens: Students with top ranks (AIR 1-100) pick IIT Bombay first. Then IIT Delhi. Then IIT Madras. By the time the list reaches AIR 500, most of the top branches at those three are already full. That pushes the cutoffs higher and higher.

For example, in 2024:

• IIT Bombay CS: Closed at AIR 78
• IIT Delhi CS: Closed at AIR 132
• IIT Madras CS: Closed at AIR 157
• IIT Kanpur CS: Closed at AIR 220
• IIT Kharagpur CS: Closed at AIR 289

That’s a massive drop-off after IIT Bombay. The difference between AIR 78 and AIR 132 isn’t just a number - it’s the difference between being in the top 0.005% versus the top 0.008% of 1.5 million candidates.

What About IIT Delhi and IIT Madras?

IIT Delhi is a close second. It’s almost as competitive as IIT Bombay, especially for Computer Science and Electronics. But it has slightly more seats, and its location in the national capital gives it an edge in internships and government-linked tech projects.

IIT Madras, located in Chennai, is known for its strong research culture and startup ecosystem. Its CS cutoff was higher than IIT Kanpur’s but lower than IIT Delhi’s. However, its Electrical and Mechanical programs are nearly as tough to crack as IIT Bombay’s.

So while IIT Bombay is the hardest, IIT Delhi and IIT Madras are still in the top tier. If you’re aiming for any of these three, you need to be in the top 200 ranks - not just clear the cutoff.

Why IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati Are Easier

Don’t mistake “easier” for “bad.” IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati are still elite institutions. But they have more seats and less brand pressure.

IIT Roorkee has over 2,300 B.Tech seats - the most among all IITs. Its CS cutoff in 2024 was AIR 312. That’s still a top 0.02% score, but it’s more attainable than IIT Bombay’s AIR 78.

IIT Guwahati, though newer, has grown fast. It offers strong programs in Civil Engineering and Biotechnology. Its CS cutoff was AIR 350. Many students choose it because of lower competition and good campus life.

The key difference? Fewer students rank these as their #1 choice. That lowers the cutoffs. If you’re not aiming for a top-tier company or a PhD at Stanford, these IITs give you the same degree - just with less pressure to get in.

What If You’re Not in the Top 100?

If your rank is between 500 and 1,000, you still have options. IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT BHU, and IIT Hyderabad are all excellent. You’ll get a top-quality education, good placements, and access to research.

Many students who didn’t get into IIT Bombay still end up in top global universities for their master’s. One 2023 graduate from IIT BHU got into MIT for a PhD in Robotics. Another from IIT Hyderabad landed a job at NVIDIA.

The IIT brand opens doors - but your performance inside the campus matters more than which IIT you entered.

How to Prepare for the Hardest IIT

If your goal is IIT Bombay, you need more than just hard work. You need strategy.

• Master the basics: 70% of JEE Advanced questions test core concepts - not tricks. Focus on NCERT, HC Verma, and Irodov.
• Practice full-length mocks weekly: Time management is critical. The exam is 6 hours long. You need stamina.
• Target your weak areas: If you’re weak in Organic Chemistry, don’t just solve 10 problems. Do 50. Then analyze every mistake.
• Don’t chase rank - chase understanding: Students who memorize formulas fail in JEE Advanced. The exam tests reasoning.
• Join a top coaching center only if it gives you personalized feedback. Many students waste money on big brands that don’t track individual progress.

Also, don’t ignore your mental health. The pressure to get into IIT Bombay breaks many students. Take breaks. Sleep well. Talk to someone if you feel overwhelmed.

Final Reality Check

Yes, IIT Bombay is the hardest. But is it the best for you? Maybe not.

Some of the most successful engineers I know didn’t go to IIT Bombay. One runs a startup in Bangalore that was acquired by Adobe. Another works at Tesla. They went to IIT Roorkee and IIT Hyderabad.

The difference between IITs fades after your first job. What matters is what you do with the opportunity. Build projects. Learn to code. Join a research lab. Network with seniors. That’s what gets you ahead - not just the IIT logo on your resume.

If you’re aiming for IIT Bombay, go for it. But don’t let the dream blind you to the fact that every IIT gives you a chance to change your life. The hardest part isn’t getting in. It’s making the most of it once you’re there.