Nine IITs Do Away With Branch Change Option to Alleviate Student Pressure

Several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have decided to abolish the option for first-year students to change their core branches, marking a significant shift from traditional practices. Traditionally, IIT students could switch their core discipline after the first year if they met specific criteria. However, this option has now been discontinued at several IITs to reduce the academic pressure on students.

IITs Discontinuing Branch Change Option

Starting this year, the following IITs will no longer allow branch changes:

• IIT Madras
• IIT Kharagpur
• IIT Dhanbad
• IIT Dharwad
• IIT Mandi
• IIT Bhubaneswar

Previously, the following IITs had already stopped offering this option:

• IIT Bombay (2023)
• IIT Hyderabad (2021)
• IIT Jammu (2018)

Currently, nine out of the 23 IITs in the country have eliminated the practice.

Reasons for Discontinuing Branch Change

The primary reason for discontinuing the branch change option is to reduce the stress among students. IITs believe that removing this option will alleviate some of the academic pressure that first-year students face, aiming to create a more balanced and less stressful environment. Previously, students needed to achieve a CGPA above 7.50 and accumulate more than 32 credits by the end of their first academic year to be eligible for a branch change. The selection process was based strictly on merit, determined by CGPA. This high requirement often pressured students to spend excessive amounts of time studying, either in their rooms or libraries, to meet these high standards.

Impact on Students

The high CGPA requirement and limited number of seats made the branch change process highly competitive. Many students devoted most of their first year solely to academics, often missing out on social activities such as joining clubs or participating in college events. This intense focus on academics could negatively affect their overall college experience. By removing the branch change option, IITs aim to ensure that students have a more holistic and less stressful college experience, allowing them to engage more in extracurricular activities and social interactions.

List of IITs Still Allowing Branch Changes

While several IITs have discontinued the branch change option, others still allow students to switch their disciplines after the first year. Here is a list of IITs that continue to offer this option:

1. IIT Delhi
2. IIT Kanpur
3. IIT Roorkee
4. IIT Guwahati
5. IIT Varanasi (BHU)
6. IIT Gandhinagar
7. IIT Patna
8. IIT Jodhpur
9. IIT Ropar
10. IIT Bhilai
11. IIT Goa
12. IIT Palakkad
13. IIT Tirupati

These IITs still allow branch changes based on students’ performance in their first year, maintaining the traditional practice.

The decision to discontinue or continue the branch change option varies across different IITs, reflecting their individual approaches to balancing academic rigor and student well-being.