Old vs New IITs: Toppers Tilt Toward Old IITs, Data Confirms
The Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) has published a detailed report on the JEE Advanced 2025 exam and admission process. The report also highlights the seat allotment at IITs. The data shows how students prefer older IITs compared to newer ones. Dive in to understand why older IITs maintain their legacy.
Old vs New IITs: Toppers Tilt Toward Old IITs, Data Confirms; Key Takeaways for IIT Aspirants
According to the recent data published by the Joint Implementation Committee (JIC), 9 new IITs failed to get the top 2000 JEE Advanced 2025 rankers. IIT Bombay clearly leads with the highest share of top rankers. It is the undisputed first choice for toppers, especially within the top 100 ranks, while IIT Delhi and Madras maintain strong reputations. Kharagpur, Kanpur, and Roorkee dominate the middle bands, and among newer IITs, Hyderabad shows promise. The newer IITs still struggle to attract top students, highlighting a clear preference within the IIT ecosystem. IIT Delhi, Kharagpur, Madras and Kanpur follow as the next preferred institutes. Newer IITs (Hyderabad, Indore, Ropar, etc.) get a modest number of students. Very new IITs (Palakkad, Goa, Jammu, Dharwad, etc.) barely appear on the charts.
Old vs New IIT Debate Settled: Toppers Choose Legacy Institutes
Out of 5000, 4661 top rankers are allotted across IITs (some gap possibly due to withdrawals or ineligibility). Old IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kharagpur, Madras, Kanpur, Roorkee, Guwahati, BHU, ISM Dhanbad) dominate. The top 3 IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Madras) alone account for approximately 39% of the allotment. The top 5 IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur) together capture 57% of the students, approximately. The distribution across the top 3 preferred IITs is as follows:
- IIT Bombay leads with 755 students, including 73 in the top 100 and 105 in the top 200.
- IIT Delhi follows with 577 students, with 19 in the top 100 and 44 in the top 200.
- IIT Madras secures 478 students, including 6 in the top 100.
These three institutes consistently attract high-rankers. But together, the older IITs account for approximately 87% of the top 5000 admissions. The newer IITs (Indore, Hyderabad, Ropar, Jodhpur, etc.) attract much fewer top rankers.
IIT Preference of the Top 100
IIT Bombay is the most prestigious one, with 73 out of the top 100 choosing it. IIT Delhi attracts 19, while IIT Madras gets 6. No other IIT secures any significant share in the Top 100. Institutes like IIT Kharagpur (517), IIT Kanpur (448), IIT Roorkee (429), IIT Guwahati (305) and IIT BHU (258) are strong in the 1000–5000 bracket, showing they remain popular but less so for the top 200 ranks.
New IITs Intake Highlights
- IIT Mandi, Jodhpur, Dhanbad, Gandhinagar and Patna have very few top 1000 rankers, mostly taking students after 2000 rank.
- IIT Guwahati stands out as a strong performer among 2nd-tier old IITs, with 48 students in the top 1000 and 305 overall.
- IIT Hyderabad (222) is the most successful among the new IITs, showing growing preference.
IIT Bombay has become the default “dream IIT” for toppers, especially in CS/ECE. This high concentration creates a prestige cycle- toppers choose IIT Bombay, which enhances its brand, further attracting future toppers. Location plays a role as students often prefer IITs nearer to economic hubs (Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru). Institutes in smaller or less urbanised regions face a natural disadvantage. Prestige is strongly tied to legacy, alumni networks, and established faculty. New IITs must specialise in niche research areas to stand out (like IIT Hyderabad in AI/5G). Institutes like IIT Kharagpur (517), IIT Kanpur (448), IIT Roorkee (429) and IIT BHU (258) attract more students in the 2000-5000 rank band than in the top 200. These IITs are still popular, but not necessarily the “dream IIT” for toppers. They get a high volume of admissions from mid-ranked students rather than a high concentration of toppers.
Both the JEE Main and JEE Advanced syllabi cover Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics from CBSE classes 11 and 12. However, JEE Advanced includes additional topics beyond the standard syllabus. For example, it covers Thermal Physics and Electrochemistry, which are not part of the JEE Main syllabus.
There are also topics that are unique to each exam. In JEE Main Physics, topics such as Electronic Devices, Electromagnetic Waves, and Communication Systems are included, which are not part of the JEE Advanced Physics syllabus. Similarly, the JEE Main Maths syllabus includes Sets, Relations, Functions, Statistics and Probability, Trigonometry, and Mathematical Reasoning, which are not covered in the JEE Advanced Maths section. In Chemistry, JEE Main includes topics like Basic Concepts of Chemistry that are not included in JEE Advanced.
Here's a comparison to help you decide which one is better for JEE Advanced preparation:
Inorganic Chemistry by O.P. Tandon: This book is more suited for students who are preparing for JEE Mains and Advanced. It covers a broad range of topics and is structured in a way that gradually builds up from basic to advanced concepts. It has a wide variety of problems, ranging from basic to slightly advanced, with enough practice material for JEE Mains and the early preparation stage for JEE Advanced. If you're looking for conceptual clarity and problem-solving practice without diving too deep into theoretical aspects, this book is a great choice. It's more structured for systematic learning.
Inorganic Chemistry by J.D. Lee: This book is considered more advanced and is highly recommended for JEE Advanced preparation. It delves deeply into the theoretical aspects of Inorganic Chemistry and is best suited for students who already have a strong foundation in the subject. The book contains fewer practice problems compared to O.P. Tandon, but it provides challenging problems that are more aligned with JEE Advanced-level difficulty. If your goal is to master the subject at a deeper level and you are preparing specifically for JEE Advanced, this book will be your go-to choice. It's perfect for advanced learners who are ready to engage with high-level concepts and problems.
Inc onclusion, for JEE Mains and Early JEE Advanced preparation, O.P. Tandon would be more suitable. However, J.D. Lee is the ideal choice if you're aiming for advanced-level understanding and high-level problem-solving. It's a classic book that will help you fine-tune your knowledge and tackle the toughest questions in JEE Advanced.
👉Read more:
- NIRF Rankings 2025 to Be Announced Tomorrow: Will IIT Madras, AIIMS Delhi and IISc Retain Top Spots?
- JEE Apex Board (JAB) Reconstituted for JEE Main and Advanced 2026, 2027
IIT Hyderabad’s Rising Popularity
222 students chose IIT Hyderabad, which is more than many older IITs like Gandhinagar (87), ISM Dhanbad (90), and Jodhpur (63). It performs better than expected for a new IIT, reflecting strong industry linkages (AI, tech startups, Japan collaborations). Its success shows that location and niche academic strength can overcome the “new IIT” handicap.
Key Takeaways for IIT Aspirants
- Students aiming for CS/EE in top IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Madras) must secure JEE Advanced ranks between 200-500.
- Those with 1000-5000 ranks still get good options in Kharagpur, Kanpur, Roorkee, BHU, and Guwahati.
- New IITs are fallback options mainly after ranks over 2000. Students with mid-ranks should carefully prioritise between old IITs’ less popular branches vs new IITs’ CS/ECE.
- Wherever the top 200 choose to go, those IITs dominate future research, placement, and global ranking.
- Students must strategise depending on rank; a student should balance prestige vs branch, vs location.
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