Parliament Question: Faculty-to-Student Ratio in IITs

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3611 ANSWERED ON 10/08/2026 Faculty-to-Student Ratio in IITs

3611. Dr. Shashi Tharoor:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government or the IIT Council has prescribed any faculty-to- student ratio for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), if so, the details thereof and the actual faculty-to-student ratio in each IIT;

(b) the number of permanent and visiting faculty in each IIT during the last five years and whether the number of visiting faculty has increased during the said period, year-wise;

(c) the number of sanctioned, filled and vacant faculty posts in each IIT during the last five years, along with the vacancy percentage in each IIT, year-wise; and

(d) whether the IIT Council has prescsribed any incentive scheme, performance parameter or funding condition to induct doctoral alumni as permanent faculty and to convert long-serving visiting/ad-hoc faculty into permanent positions, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a) to (d): The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are autonomous institutes governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 as amended from time to time and the Statutes framed there under.

The IIT Council, in its various meetings, has deliberated on measures to facilitate and strengthen faculty recruitment in the IITs. The Council has recognised faculty recruitment as a core institutional priority, given its direct bearing on academic quality, teaching capacity and research excellence. The measures discussed include rolling and special recruitment drives; engagement of guest, adjunct, visiting faculty and Professors of Practice; facilitation of therecruitment of foreign faculty and eligible Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders; institutional performance-review mechanisms; and strengthened recruitment monitoring through regular reporting.

The creation of vacancies and filling thereof is a continuous process.

Vacancies arise due to retirements, resignations and the creation of additional positions necessitated by the expansion of student enrolment and academic programmes. In order to attract high-quality talent, the IITs issue rolling advertisements for faculty recruitment, which remain open throughout the year.

Further, in September 2022, the Ministry of Education advised all Central Higher Educational Institutions (CHEIs) to fill vacancies in mission mode. Under the mission-mode recruitment drive undertaken from September 2022 to May 2026, the IITs filled more than 3,500 faculty vacancies. At present, around 460 visiting faculty members are engaged in teaching and academic activities across the IIT system.

IITs also engage Professors of Practice (PoP) to enhance students' experiences by providing insights into real-world best practices. PoPs also serve as a bridge between industry and the institute to identify teaching and research opportunities that support the public interest and societal needs. Further, IITs also hire visiting faculty members who are from academics or senior industry professionals joining IITs for a short duration to promote a cross-cultural exchange of ideas and perspectives.

IITs encourage the alumni of their Institutes to appear for faculty positions as per year-round open advertisements. Measures have been taken to attract quality faculty which includes recruitment through search-cum-selection procedures, special recruitment drive, mission mode recruitment and invitation to alumni/scientists/faculty, etc. The faculty recruitment process is carried out by the IITs by inviting applications in a transparent manner, as part of a multi- step and robust screening process.

Further, in the QS World University Rankings 2027, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have achieved notable positions. IIT Delhi has been placed at 118th (123rd in 2026), IIT Madras at 170th (180th in 2026), IIT Kharagpur at 205th (215th in 2026), IIT Kanpur at 221st (222nd in 2026).

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