NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has introduced a new admission channel for undergraduate programs, exclusively for students who have excelled in national and international Olympiads.
Named the Science Olympiad Excellence (ScOpE) initiative, this scheme will allow admissions beyond the traditional JEE (Advanced) route, starting from the 2025-26 academic session.
Under this program, two supernumerary seats will be allotted per course, with one seat reserved for female candidates.
IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti highlighted that the initiative aims to recognize students with exceptional problem-solving skills beyond textbook learning.
โThe worldโs biggest puzzles are solved not by memorization, but by those who dare to break problems down and build new solutions. With this in mind, IIT Madras is taking a fresh step to offer admission to its prestigious undergraduate courses for Olympiad achievers,โ he stated.
Eligibility & Admission Process
The eligibility criteria for ScOpE are similar to JEE (Advanced), including Class 12 qualification and age requirements. However, students who have already secured admission to any IIT will not be eligible to apply.
Admission will be based on a ScOpE Rank List (SRL), determined by performance in five Olympiads: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Informatics, and Biology.
The application process for the first batch will begin on June 3, 2025, through a dedicated portal (jeeadv.iitm.ac.in/scope), separate from the JoSAA system.
To qualify, candidates must be Indian nationals or OCI/PIO cardholders (issued before March 4, 2021) and should have participated in recognized Olympiad training camps over the past four years.
These include the International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC), Orientation-cum-Selection Camps (OCSCs) for Science Olympiads, and the International Olympiad for Informatics Training Camp (IOITC).
