Women’s representation at IITs stagnant at 20% despite supernumerary seats: Admission 2025 report
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Despite the creation of supernumerary seats to improve gender diversity, women’s representation at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has remained nearly unchanged over the past six years, holding steady at around 20 per cent of total admissions, according to Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) data released by JEE Advanced organizing institutes.
The share of women students has consistently stayed within the 19 to 21 per cent range, suggesting that while the policy has prevented a decline, it has not significantly raised overall representation.
According to JIC reports, female enrolment has shown only marginal variations. In 2020, women made up 19.9 per cent of the 16,061 seats filled, while in 2025 they account for 20.15 per cent of the 18,188 seats allotted. Although the absolute number of women has grown in line with the expansion of IIT intake, from 16,053 seats in 2020 to 18,168 in 2025, the proportion has remained nearly flat.
Across individual campuses, older IITs have seen only slight changes. At IIT Bombay, female representation fluctuated between 19.5 and 20.3 per cent from 2020 to 2025, ending at 19.57 per cent this year. At IIT Delhi, the share ranged between 20.25 and 20.7 per cent, standing at 20.63 per cent in 2025. IIT Madras has fared slightly better, with women’s enrolment between 20.26 and 21.09 per cent over the same period.
IIT Kharagpur has consistently remained below the national average, with women forming just 19.19 per cent of admissions in 2025. In contrast, some newer IITs have posted stronger gender ratios, including IIT Tirupati (21.57%), IIT Goa (20%) and IIT Jammu (20%).
Supernumerary seats for women were first introduced in 2018, when female intake was in single digits at several campuses. The measure aimed to raise women’s representation to 20 per cent by 2020. While that target has been met, the figure has remained static since then, highlighting the limits of the policy in substantially improving gender balance.
