Nine IITs do away with branch change option to alleviate student pressure: List of IITs which allow stream change

TOI Education / Updated: Jul 28, 2024, 16:53 IST

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Several IITs have abolished the option for first-year students to change their core branches, aiming to reduce academic pressure. This decision, followed by IITs like Madras, Kharagpur, and others, seeks to ensure a balanced student experience without the stress of maintaining high CGPA for a branch change. The move has sparked diverse opinions on its impact on student well-being.

Nine IITs do away with branch change option to alleviate student pressure: List of IITs which allow stream change

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Several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have decided to abolish the option for first-year students to change their core branches, a significant shift from previous 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.Starting this year, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Dhanbad, IIT Dharwad, IIT Mandi, and IIT Bhubaneswar will no longer allow branch changes. Notably, this follows previous decisions by IIT Bombay, IIT Hyderabad, and IIT Jammu, which stopped offering this option in 2023, 2021, and 2018, respectively. Currently, nine of the country's 23 IITs have eliminated the practice.
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 requirement often pressured students to spend excessive amounts of time studying, either in their rooms or libraries, to meet these high standards.

Here's the list of IITs still allowing branch changes:

IITs allowing stream change	IIT Kanpur IIT Goa IIT Delhi IIT Roorkee IIT Gandhinagar IIT Indore IIT Ropar IIT Guwahati IIT Patna IIT Palakkad IIT Tirupati IIT Bhilai IIT Roorkee IIT Jodhpur
IITs discontinuing stream change	IIT Jammu IIT Hyderabad IIT Bombay IIT Madras IIT Kharagpur IIT Dhanbad IIT Dharwad IIT Mandi IIT Bhubaneswar

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.
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.

However, various media reports suggest that while the intention behind allowing branch changes was positive, it inadvertently added more stress to an already challenging academic environment. Experts suggest that focusing on holistic development rather than just academic performance could benefit students more in the long run.
By discontinuing branch changes, IITs aim to help students enjoy a more well-rounded college experience without the added pressure of meeting high CGPA requirements just for the chance to switch branches.

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