Students and experts divided on relaxing IIT eligibility norms

Even as the Joint Admission Board is contemplating relaxing the eligibility criteria for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology, students and academicians are divided on the proposal.

Even as the Joint Admission Board is contemplating relaxing the eligibility criteria for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), students and academicians are divided on the proposal.

HT Image

Sources in the IITs said the admission board may change the eligibility criteria to 20 percentile, or a score of 75% and more in the Class 12 board exam, whichever is lower. At present, only those in the top 20 percentile [of board exam scores] are eligible.

The change was recommended after it was found that the percentile system was uneven as many boards were more scoring than others. The recommendations will be considered at the IIT Council meeting on September 22.

The proposal, however, has invited a mixed response “The IITs are premier institutions and the percentile formula was brought to ensure equal attention to Class 12 exams and entrance tests. Reducing the weightage to 75% will serve no purpose,” a source from the HRD ministry said.

Students are unsure if the recommendations will benefit them. “We tend to concentrate more on preparing for the IIT-JEE and sail through with board marks. This [plan] will mean tougher competition from other boards,” Sachit Mehrotra, a Class 12 student said.

Praveen Tyagi, managing director, IIT-ians Pace, said, “The new eligibility criteria will benefit CBSE board students and other state boards where higher number of students will score more than 75%”.