IITs are NRI's first choice for undergraduate education

Though the IIT's have not made it to the top 200 in most of the international university rankings, they remain to be the first choice when it comes to undergraduate education for the children of overseas Indians returning home, particularly IIT alumni.

One of the main considerations for NRIs to come back to India is to encourage their children to get into IITs. Like Indian students, foreign nationals too have to write the JEE (Main) and figure among the top 1.5 lakh candidates to sit for the JEE (Advanced) and clear that test to get into the IITs.

A degree from the IITs carries weight in top institutions in the world, as the institutions have been identified as providing good grounding for higher studies anywhere on the globe.

Many believe that getting students to prepare for JEE (Advanced) from Class 6 trains them to think analytically, helping them excel in higher studies in overseas institutions.

Previous worries that IITs may be lagging behind foreign institutions in promoting entrepreneurship are now being dismissed because of the supportive ecosystem for startups on campus, said IIT faculty.