Engineers’ Day 2026: Women’s intake at IITs up 52% since 2019, share rises modestly
On Engineers’ Day 2026, the number of women studying at India's premier engineering institutes, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), has significantly increased, rising by 52% since 2019, while the overall share of female students has slightly grown. In 2019, women comprised 17.76% of the students allotted seats across the 23 IITs.
By 2025, this figure had climbed to 20.15%, with the number of female students rising from 2,416 to 3,664 – a jump of approximately 52%. Despite the overall increase in seats from 13,604 to 18,188, the growth in women's enrollment has surpassed the overall expansion in seats. The policy aimed to improve gender balance was introduced in 2018-19, providing supernumerary seats specifically for women, gradually raising their share in the IITs.
By 2025, every IIT had at least 19% female students, with the highest being IIT Tirupati at 21.57% and IIT Madras at 21.09%. This change signifies a more balanced representation of women across the IITs, with nearly one woman for every four students enrolled.
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