IIT Kharagpur is set to leverage artificial intelligence to identify early warning signs of academic stress among its students, such as a sudden decline in cumulative grade point average (CGPA), an accumulation of uncleared subjects, and a sustained drop in continuous performance assessment. This initiative aims to enable timely intervention by the authorities to safeguard the mental well-being of students.
Background and Recent Tragedies
The institute has faced a troubling series of student suicides, with five reported in 2025 and two in April 2026. In response, IIT Kharagpur has strengthened its faculty mentorship program to better support students in crisis. Additionally, the institution will award one extra academic credit to hostel wing representatives who effectively fulfill their duties.
Role of Hostel Wing Representatives
These representatives, enrolled under the 'Saarthi' program, are tasked with observing behavioral changes in their peers and alerting authorities if any student requires counseling. The institute has also decided to conduct supplementary examinations twice a year to prevent students from waiting long periods to clear backlogs.
"Academic stress should not become invisible until it is too late," said IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty. "We want to move from crisis response to early support. By combining data-driven alerts, faculty mentorship, accessible academic recovery mechanisms, and professional well-being support, we are building a system that identifies concerns early and responds with compassion."
AI-Enabled Risk Flagging Mechanism
The AI system will send alerts to faculty advisers regarding sudden CGPA drops, accumulation of backlogs, repeated absences from class, and sustained decline in continuous assessment performance. An official explained, "Faculty advisers often say that since they have many students under their supervision, it becomes difficult to spot critical cases. So, if cases are automatically highlighted, it will be easier for them to provide immediate support."
Pilot Program 'Mitra'
The institute is launching a faculty-led early detection mechanism called 'Mitra' for undergraduate students as a pilot. Under this program, a teacher or mentor will be assigned 10 to 12 students. "Mentors must meet students once a month and log their mood, stress, and isolation signals in the Setu app. A case, if flagged, will trigger an alert to the counseling center within 24 hours," said an official.
Director Chakraborty added, "We have restructured the hostel wing representative system: students who perform their task effectively as wing representatives will get one extra academic credit. There will also be incentives for the best wing representative."
