MUMBAI: Computer science continues to dominate the imagination of India’s best engineering aspirants, but the first round of IIT seats preference for 2026 shows another branch quietly clawing its way back into favour: civil engineering.
The shift was the most dramatic at IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi. At Powai, civil engineering opened at an All India Rank of 385 this year, compared to 2,666 last year. Delhi saw the opening rank improving from 3,030 to 179. Significant gains were also visible at IIT Roorkee and IIT Bhubaneswar, where civil engineering attracted substantially higher-ranked candidates than in 2025. Industry observers believe it is not just opportunities presented by the infrastructure boom; broader economic shifts may also be influencing student choices. “AI fears are accelerating the move toward core branches like civil for students seeking stability,” said Bhushan Jamsandekar, an IIT Madras alumnus.
IIT-B Computer Science Retains Position As Most Coveted Course
Computer science cut-offs at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IIT Madras remained remarkably stable, showed the initial 2026 admission figures released on Saturday, and the biggest jump was in civil engineering.
However, the trend was not universal. IIT Jammu, IIT Tirupati, IIT Palakkad and IIT Ropar witnessed the opposite movement, with civil engineering accessible at considerably lower ranks than a year ago. IIT Bombay civil engineering professor and former head Deepankar Choudhury said the trend was hardly surprising. “Campus placements were very good this year across several disciplines, including civil, structural and environmental engineering. Also IIT Bombay Civil stands at all India Rank 1 according to the latest QS ranking. There are fewer graduates, and opportunities are many due to major infrastructure growth in India,” he said.
“Nationally, there is a push for infrastructure. But top performers still dominate computer science. Civil graduates who learn AI tools will be even stronger. It’s a smart recalibration for many students,” said Jamsandekar, who is also head of Narayana CO Campus, Nerul.
Broader Hierarchy Remains Largely Unchanged
The broader hierarchy of the IIT system, however, remains largely unchanged.
Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) on Saturday released the first round of allotments for 67,323 seats across 134 institutions, including IITs and NITs. Computer science at IIT Bombay retained its position as the country’s most coveted engineering programme, opening at Rank 1 and closing at 65, compared to 68 last year.
IIT Delhi’s computer science programme opened at Rank 35 and closed at 123, while IIT Madras opened at 67 and closed at 149. Even in the female-only supernumerary pool, the order remained intact, with IIT Bombay closing at Rank 395, ahead of IIT Madras at 539 and IIT Delhi at 681.
The dominance of the older IITs remained unmistakable. IIT Kharagpur’s computer science programme closed at Rank 509, IIT Roorkee at 582, IIT Hyderabad at 647 and IIT Guwahati at 810. A sizeable gap separated them from the next cluster of institutions, with IIT BHU Varanasi closing at 1,436 and IIT Indore at 1,639.
Significant Movements in Female Supernumerary Seats
Several of the most significant movements this year occurred in female supernumerary seats at newer IITs. IIT Dharwad witnessed one of the sharpest shifts, with female computer science seats becoming accessible at ranks more than 3,200 places lower than a year earlier. Similar easing was observed at IIT Palakkad, IIT Jammu, IIT Tirupati and IIT Bhubaneswar.
Conversely, computer science became more competitive in certain categories at IIT Goa and IIT Ropar, according to Amit Ahuja, career counsellor at Allen. Physics at IIT Kharagpur became significantly more competitive in some categories, while programmes such as biosciences and bioengineering at IIT Roorkee and chemical science and technology at IIT Patna became accessible at substantially lower ranks.
IIT Patna recorded the highest number of programmes, where opening or closing ranks shifted by more than 500 places between 2025 and 2026. IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee and IIT ISM Dhanbad also witnessed widespread movement across multiple disciplines.
