IIT Madras admits tennis, volleyball, squash, water polo players under sports quota

NEW DELHI: The first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to introduce a sports quota, IIT Madras has admitted five national athletes including tennis, vollyeball, squash, and water polo players under its ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ (SEA) category for the academic year 2024-25.

For the sports quota, IIT M has reserved two supernumerary seats in each of its undergraduate programmes, one of which is exclusively for female students. The initiative aims to recognise and reward students who have excelled in sports. The programme allows such candidates to pursue their higher education while continuing to perform in sports.

The five athletes who have been admitted under the IIT Madras sports quota admissions 2024-25 are as follows:

Welcoming the five athletes to the institute, V Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras, said, “The sports excellence admission is an initiative of IIT Madras primarily to send the important message that young children must be encouraged to play during their childhood. I sincerely hope this reaches all concerned.”

Professor Mahesh Panchagnula, head, Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA), IIT Madras, said, “We had several applications but finally, we were able to admit Five Students of excellent standing and yet academically qualified. They have passed JEE Advanced, like any other IIT student. In that sense, there is no compromise on the relative quality of academic merit that is expected but at the same time, rewards sports pursuit and excellence.”

IIT Madras sports quota admission

The admission process for SEA is through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced, however, not through the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) portal. IIT Madras introduced a separate portal for these admissions.

To be eligible, candidates must have secured a position in the Common Rank List (CRL) or category-wise rank list in the JEE Advanced exam and must have won at least one medal in any national or international-level sports competition in the last four years.

What IIT Madras students have to say

Bhave, who is a national junior-level volleyball player, said, “I got into Volleyball initially for fun. As I progressed, I got good at the game and I started competing professionally. IIT Madras has always got a reputation for academic excellence. Along with that, IIT Madras provides a lot of opportunities for active research for the students. What drew me most to IIT Madras was its emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. Managing sports with academics takes a lot of dedication. I make sure to attend all my classes while practising my sports daily. It sometimes becomes tough during examinations to manage the studies but with the right guidance and sport, I think it is manageable.”

Aryaman Mandal, a water polo player and swimmer, said, “Besides my sports career, I also had an interest in the technical field. IIT Madras has proved to be one of the best colleges all over India. I would say that is the reason I chose IIT Madras. In college, managing sports and studies is not that easy but I have my friends who help me with my studies, whenever I have doubts.”

Nandini Jain, who represented India twice at ‘Asian Junior Games’ in 2018 and 2019, said, “I always had a nudge for science and I wanted to do something in the scientific field only. I do not think there is any other college better than IIT Madras to choose. It is the top college that you can get into for Science. I attend all the lectures. I make sure not to miss any of the lectures and classes. I try to grasp as much as possible during the lecture itself when the Professors explain everything clearly so that I do not have to spend extra time after my training. My friends here (at IIT Madras) are very supportive. We have group study sessions during which if I have doubts, I can ask them. There are very good TAs (Teaching Assistants) and Professors who held you out whenever needed.”

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Table tennis champion Prabhav Gupta, said, “I chose IIT Madras because it is the best institution in the country for pursuing engineering. It provides excellent opportunities for learning, growth and building a successful career. Managing both sports and studies is challenging here because academics are on a whole different level. However, I make time for both by studying whenever possible and practising table tennis daily. My game has improved significantly by practising with the Contingent Members (in the Institute).”

Lawn tennis pro Vangala Vedavachan Reddy, said, “I chose IIT Madras for its reputation and academic excellence. I balance studies and sports by keep a clear schedule. I focus on keeping a fresh mind while studying. I would say both Clearing the JEE Examinations and Winning a medal in Sports are challenging in their own ways. Cracking JEE requires constant studies while winning a medal demands physical and mental toughness and skill.”