IIT Madras admits 12 students through fine arts, Science Olympiad quotas

IIT Madras BTech Admission: In an alternative way of BTech admission that goes beyond just conventional academic metrics, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has welcomed nine students with exceptional talents in creative arts, and three with science olympiad achievements into its programmes this year.

The first nine students have secured their spots in the courses through the Fine Arts and Culture Excellence Admissions Scheme (FACE) initiative. IIT Madras is the first and only IIT so far to recognise brilliance in fine arts and culture as an entry criterion.

IIT Madras director V Kamakoti had unveiled the new admission quotas in December, through a virtual announcement emphasising the institute’s commitment “to reward and encourage students who have achieved excellence in fine arts and culture”.

Last year, IIT Madras had admitted five students through its sports quota across different disciplines, including tennis, volleyball, squash, and water polo . These students pursued various courses, including BTech in CSE, BTech in AI and data science; and BTech in medical sciences and engineering.

IIT Madras: FACE quota admission, eligibility

Candidates pursuing admission through the FACE quota must do so either through JEE Advanced or the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) Aptitude test (IAT), IIT Madras told Careers360 .

The institute has created supernumerary seats under this scheme accommodating both Indian nationals and overseas citizens of India/persons of Indian origin (OCI/POI).

The FACE quota operates through a point-based evaluation system where Government of India awards carry the maximum weightage of 100 points.

IIT Madras has created a list of awards, fellowships and recognitions – split into categories A and B – and requires the candidate applying under the quota to have won at least one. Category A recognitions earn 75 points and Category B 50 points.

Eligibility requirements include minimum 75% marks in Class 12 examinations – the standard criteria for everyone else. Additionally, candidates must possess at least one Government of India award in any art form.

The FACE quota allocates two dedicated seats per BTech and BS courses – one of them reserved for women – across IIT Madras’s extensive portfolio of undergraduate and integrated programmes on offer. However, admissions through this route appear significantly lower than the total seats earmarked.

A specialised IITM-FACE portal facilitates the application process for this quota, operating independently from the standard Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JOSAA) counselling system used by regular candidates.

IIT M Without JEE Advanced: Science Olympiad

The Science Olympiad Programme of Excellence (ScOpE) provides another alternative channel to secure admission in IIT Madras specifically targeting students who have excelled in international competitions across five olympiads – Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Informatics and Biology. This route bypasses the JEE Advanced exam.

Instead, candidates must have participated at least once in the International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camps (IMOTC) by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) for mathematics, Orientation-cum-Selection Camps (OCSCs) for science subjects and International Olympiad for Informatics Training Camp (IOITC) by the Indian Association for Research in Computer Science (IARCS) for Informatics. Based on their performance a “Scope Rank List” (SRL) is drawn up and admission granted to the top rankers.

Candidates can apply for 19 courses, including BTech Computer Science Engineering, BTech Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering (EE) and BS Chemistry, under the IIT Madras ScOpE quota .

The counselling route is separate for both FACE and ScOPE.