IIT eases norm, allows board exam marks; 20 percentile to stay

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institutes of Technology have eased the eligibility criteria for admissions, opening their doors to students who have scored at least 75% in class XII, even if they are not among the top 20% performers of their boards, provided they crack the entrance exam. This will be in addition to the top 20-percentile criterion, adopted two years ago at the behest of then HRD minister Kapil Sibal, the IIT Council decided in its meeting in Chennai on Monday.

In other words, an aspirant, who has cracked the entrance test, should either figure in the top 20% performers of the Class XII Board examination or score at least 75%, to be eligible for admission to IITs. In the case of SC/ST candidates, the cut-off will be 70% in board examination. The change, however, will not apply retrospectively.

ET was the first to report on September 16 that IITs were considering a change to the admission criteria. The move follows criticism that the top 20-percentile criterion is shutting out many deserving candidates. Students from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are regarded as the worst hit because the top 20 percentile cut-off for their state boards usually is 90% and more. This year, about 240 students were left out despite cracking the JEE (Advance) as they did not meet the percentile criterion.