IITs and NITs in India

Before looking at individual colleges, students should understand the basic difference between IITs and NITs.

JoSAA is the common counselling platform used for seat allocation across IITs, NITs and several other centrally funded technical institutes.

How Many Seats Are Available in IITs and NITs?

The number of engineering seats changes as institutes introduce new programmes, increase capacity or modify their existing course structure.

According to the JoSAA 2026 seat matrix, the broader counselling pool provides:

A total of 67,323 seats were listed across these institute groups for JoSAA 2026, an increase over the previous admission cycle.

Important Point About Seat Numbers

Students should not treat the total number of seats in a college as the number of seats available to them personally.

Seats are divided according to:

• Academic programme
• Category
• Gender-neutral and female-only pools
• PwD reservation
• Home State and Other State quota in NITs
• Other applicable reservation rules

For example, even if an NIT has more than 1,000 seats in total, only a part of those seats may belong to Computer Science, and that programme is further divided by category and quota.

Complete List of IITs in India

IIT Colleges with Latest NIRF Ranking

The table below covers all 23 IITs participating in JoSAA.

Note: “Rank” means the NIRF 2025 Engineering Rank. It does not mean JEE Advanced closing rank.

The rankings above are from the Ministry of Education's NIRF 2025 Engineering list. IIT Madras remained India's highest-ranked engineering institute, followed by IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay.

IIT Seat Availability

The IIT seat matrix changes by course and category. JoSAA publishes the complete programme-wise matrix before counselling.

For example, the latest 2026 matrices show:

• IIT Kharagpur has around 1,949 seats across programmes included in its current seat matrix.
• IIT Bombay has around 1,360 seats in its current published matrix.
• IIT Kanpur has around 1,240 seats.
• IIT Madras has around 1,118 seats.
• IIT Indore's current matrix has expanded to around 560 seats.
• IIT Gandhinagar has around 360 seats.

Why Do IIT Seat Numbers Change?

A college may have more seats in one year because it can:

• Start a new B.Tech programme
• Add a BS programme
• Increase seats in an existing branch
• Introduce interdisciplinary programmes
• Add supernumerary seats

Therefore, students preparing for a future counselling cycle should always check that year's JoSAA seat matrix before finalising their choices.

Which Are the Top IITs in India?

According to the latest available NIRF Engineering ranking, the top IITs are:

However, a higher NIRF rank does not automatically mean that the college is the best choice for every student.

For example, a student may prefer:

CSE at one IIT over a less-preferred branch at a higher-ranked IIT.

College selection should therefore consider the programme as well as the institute.

Complete List of NITs in India

NIT Colleges with NIRF Ranking and Latest Seat Matrix

There are 31 NITs in the JoSAA system. NIT Trichy is currently the highest-ranked NIT in the NIRF Engineering ranking.

The NIRF positions and rank bands above use the NIRF 2025 Engineering ranking. The seat figures are from the current 2026 NIT seat matrix published for JoSAA counselling.

Seat Note: Seat figures represent the overall institute-level matrix and should not be confused with the number of seats available in one branch or category. Branch-wise availability may be much smaller.

Top NITs in India

Based on the latest NIRF Engineering ranking, the leading NITs are:

NIT Trichy is the highest-ranked NIT and is placed 9th overall among engineering institutes in NIRF 2025. NIT Rourkela, NIT Surathkal, NIT Calicut and NIT Warangal also appear within the top 30.

NITs with the Highest Number of Seats

Seat availability can be useful when students are comparing counselling options.

Some NITs with large 2026 seat matrices include:

A larger seat matrix does not automatically mean easier admission.

For example, CSE in a top NIT may still close at a very competitive JEE Main rank even when the institute has more than 1,000 total seats, because those seats are divided among several branches and categories.

NIRF Rank and JEE Rank Are Not the Same

This is an important point for students.

NIRF Rank

NIRF ranks the college itself.

It looks at areas such as:

• Teaching and learning
• Research
• Graduation outcomes
• Outreach
• Perception

For example:

IIT Madras – NIRF Engineering Rank 1

This means the institute is ranked first in the NIRF Engineering category.

JEE Rank

JEE rank belongs to the student.

It is used during counselling to decide whether the student can get a particular institute and programme.

For example:

A student may have:

JEE Advanced AIR 2,000

That rank will then be compared with the JoSAA opening and closing ranks for each IIT programme.

Closing Rank

The closing rank is the rank of the last candidate who received a particular seat in a counselling round.

So:

• NIRF Rank = College ranking
• JEE Rank = Student's examination rank
• Closing Rank = Last rank admitted to a particular programme

These three numbers should never be mixed.

Home State and Other State Quota in NITs

One major difference between IIT and NIT admission is the role of the Home State quota.

NIT seats are divided according to the applicable seat-allocation rules, including:

Home State Quota

This applies to eligible students associated with the state or union territory linked to that NIT under the counselling rules.

Other State Quota

This covers eligible students applying from outside that Home State pool.

Because of this, two students with similar JEE Main ranks may see different closing ranks depending on:

• Their state
• Category
• Gender
• Programme
• Counselling round

Students should therefore check the correct quota before comparing NIT closing ranks.

IIT vs NIT – Which Should You Choose?

There is no single answer that works for every student.

A good choice depends on the combination of college + branch + career goal.

Consider an IIT when:

• You have a competitive JEE Advanced rank.
• Your preferred programme is available.
• You want access to the IIT academic and research ecosystem.
• The institute matches your academic interests.

Consider an NIT when:

• Your JEE Main rank gives you a strong branch at a leading NIT.
• You want to use your Home State admission advantage.
• The available branch matches your career plans.
• You prefer a particular location or institute.

A student should not automatically choose an unpopular branch in an IIT just because of the IIT tag.

For some students:

CSE/ECE at a leading NIT may be a better personal choice than a branch they do not want at an IIT.

The decision should depend on what the student wants to study and where they want their career to go.

How to Choose the Right IIT or NIT

Do not select a college using only one ranking.

Compare the following before locking your JoSAA choices:

1. Branch

First ask yourself what you actually want to study.

If you have a strong interest in Computer Science, choosing a college only because it has a slightly higher overall ranking may not always be the best approach.

2. Previous Closing Rank

Check previous JoSAA opening and closing ranks for:

• Your category
• Gender
• Programme
• Quota
• Institute

This gives you a much better idea of realistic admission chances.

3. Seat Availability

More seats can create more admission opportunities, but branch-wise competition still matters.

4. Academic Strength

Different institutes may be particularly strong in different engineering areas.

5. Placement Opportunities

Look beyond only the highest package.

Useful factors include:

• Median package
• Number of students placed
• Companies visiting campus
• Internship opportunities
• Placement record of your preferred branch

6. Campus and Location

Consider:

• Travel
• Weather
• Campus facilities
• Hostel facilities
• Connectivity
• Personal comfort

7. Fees and Financial Support

Check the current institute fee structure, scholarships and fee-remission rules before making the final decision.

8. Long-Term Goal

Your preferred college may change depending on whether your goal is:

• Placement
• Higher studies
• Research
• Entrepreneurship
• Civil services
• Core engineering
• Technology careers

College Rank vs Branch – What Matters More?

This is one of the most common questions during JoSAA counselling.

Suppose a student has two choices:

Option A: A less-preferred branch at a higher-ranked institute.

Option B: Computer Science or another preferred branch at a slightly lower-ranked IIT or NIT.

There is no universal correct answer.

If the student strongly wants to build a career in software, AI or computing, branch preference may be important.

If the student is flexible about the branch and values the overall institute ecosystem more, college preference may carry more weight.

The student should compare both choices instead of selecting only by the college name.

IIT and NIT Seats for 2027 Aspirants

Students preparing for JEE Main 2027 or JEE Advanced 2027 should note that the JoSAA 2027 seat matrix has not been released yet.

The latest available seat matrix is for the 2026–27 academic session.

The number of seats may change before 2027 because institutes can:

• Introduce new courses
• Increase intake
• Change programme capacity
• Add supernumerary seats
• Restructure existing programmes

2027 Update Note: This page currently uses the latest available JoSAA 2026 seat information. The college-wise tables should be updated after JoSAA publishes the official 2027 seat matrix.