The history of IIT Guwahati traces its roots to the 1985 Assam Accord[8] signed between the All Assam Students Union and the Government of India, which mentions the general improvement in education facilities in Assam and specifically the setting up of an IIT.
IIT Guwahati was established in 1994 by an act of parliament and its academic programme commenced in 1995.[1] IIT Guwahati admitted its first batch of students into its Bachelor of Technology programme in 1995. The selection process was the same as that of the other IITs, i.e., through the Joint Entrance Examination.[9] In 1998, the first batch of students was accepted into the Master of Technology program through the GATE.
Campus and geography
Campus map ca. October 2024Central Library, Administrative Building, Dr.Bhupen Hazarika Auditorium (left to right), ca. 2016IIT Guwahati Hostels
The campus of IIT Guwahati is on the northern bank of Brahmaputra and abuts the North Guwahati town of Amingaon. The campus is on a 700 acres (2.8 km2) plot of land around 20 km (12 mi) from the heart of the city. It has the Brahmaputra on one side and hills and vast open spaces on others.[1]
IIT Guwahati is a fully residential campus. All the students live in hostels on the campus. The hostels are named after rivers and tributaries of North-East India: Manas, Dihing, Kapili, Siang, Kameng, Barak, Subansiri (girls' hostel), Umiam, Dibang (currently not in use), Brahmaputra (largest hostel in all the IITs[citation needed]), Dhansiri (new girls' hostel), Lohit, Disang (Co-ed Hostel), Gaurang (new boys' Hostel). Apart from these, there is a married scholars' hostel for married postgraduates. Students at IIT Guwahati are mostly given a double occupancy room till the end of their second year. Each room comes equipped with requisite basic amenities. The toilets and bathrooms are shared (three of each for every ten rooms on average). Every hostel has a mess, a canteen, a juice centre, a stationery shop, a library, a TV room, a sports room (for indoor sports), and laundry facilities.[10] The hostels are provided with 24-hour Internet facility.
All IITs follow the same organization structure which has President of India as visitor at the top of the hierarchy. Directly under the president is the IIT Council. Under the IIT Council is the board of governors of each IIT.
Under the board of governors is the director, who is the chief academic and executive officer of the IIT. Under the director, in the organizational structure, comes the deputy director. Under the director and the deputy director, come the deans, heads of departments, registrar.
Mehta Family School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
School of Energy Sciences and Engineering
School of Health Science & Technology
School of Humanities & Social Sciences
Extramural centres
IIT Guwahati is home to five academic centres.
Central Instruments Facility
Centre for Computer & Communication Centre
Centre for Career Development
Centre for Creativity
Centre for Educational Technology
Academics
As of 15 August 2024, there are 8.533 students on rolls with 24.5% being female.[11] The number of faculty is 456, of which 12.1% are female.[12]
Admission
Admission in IIT Guwahati for UG Courses is done through JEE Advanced for Engineering. Until 2015, admissions in UG Design Course was happening through JEE Advanced. It now happens through UCEED.
Admission in PG is done through IIT-JAM, GATE score, and through CEED for Designing, while through Ph.D-NET examination or Ph.D. entrance examination and/or interview one can get admission into Ph.D. Courses.
IIT Guwahati hosts Param-Ishan which is the fastest and most powerful super computer in northeastern, eastern and southern regions of the country.[20]
Placements
The BTech in Computer Science Engineering (CSE) program at [IIT Guwahati] aims to provide students with strong technical skills and industry exposure, preparing them for successful careers in the field of software development and technology. The program has a dedicated Placement Cell that works closely with students and recruiters to facilitate job placements.[citation needed]
Computer Science and Engineering Placement
For the academic year 2022-23, the average package (including domestic & international offers) for Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) students stood at Rs 42 lakh per annum (LPA), a significant increase from the previous year's average of Rs 36.88 LPA. This upward trend demonstrates the industry's high demand for skilled software engineers. Moreover, the highest package offered to a CSE student reached an impressive Rs 2.4 crores per annum, reflecting the exceptional talent nurtured by the program.[citation needed]
Branch-wise Placements
For placement statistics of other branches, including branches like Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), Mechanical Engineering (ME), and others, students can refer to the Centre for Career Development at [University/Institute Name]. The Centre for Career Development serves as a valuable resource for students, providing them with information, guidance, and assistance throughout the placement process. The center collaborates with various industries and organizations to facilitate placements across different sectors.[citation needed]
Student life
Annual festivals
Every year the students and administration of IIT Guwahati come together to organize a number of festivals and competitions. The major festivals include Alcheringa, the annual cultural festival, Techniche, the annual techno-management festival, Udgam, the annual entrepreneurship summit and Research Conclave. Apart from these the Students of IIT Guwahati participate in the annual Inter IIT Sports Meet. Apart from these the General Championship (GC) is widely celebrated across the hostel communities in the institute, the combined score in the inter hostel meets Kriti (Tech), Manthan (Cultural) and Spardha (Sports) is used to decide the winning hostel.
Alcheringa
Israeli psychedelic rock band Ouzo Bazooka perform at the World Carnival, Alcheringa 2016
Alcheringa, popularly known as "Alcher", is the annual cultural extravaganza of the IIT Guwahati. It started in 1996 as a student-run nonprofit organisation catering primarily to the youth of the nation.[21] Held for three days and four nights, Alcheringa's 2018 edition witnessed an estimated footfall of 1,00,000 people.
Techniche is the techno-management festival of IIT Guwahati. Techniche is held in September every year over three days. Techniche hosts various events, competitions, exhibitions and workshops.
Techniche conducts Technothlon and provides students from schools and colleges across India a platform to interact with many experts in subject areas through its lecture series. It has been attended by R. Chidambaram, Kiran Bedi, H. C. Verma, Mike Fincke, John C. Mather and others.
Udgam, is the annual Entrepreneurship Summit of IIT Guwahati. Organized by the institute's Entrepreneurial Cell, it aims to inspire young students and graduates of North-East India to embrace entrepreneurship .[23] Apart from a series of talks by eminent entrepreneurs there are plethora of workshops & networking sessions which happen during the festival.[24] It is usually held as an annual three-day summit in January.
Prayatna
Prayatna is the annual socio-welfare fest of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati.[25] The topics covered at Prayatna include: social justice, recognizing privilege, and exploring identity.
Collaborations
IIT Guwahati has partnered with National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to design and develop a highly energy-efficient plant for capturing CO2 from power plants. This plant was developed by a research team led by Prof. Bishnupada Mandal, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati. This project is stands to benefit the petroleum industry, as well as strengthen the United Nations'Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).[26]
