The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has become the first IIT to implement a sports quota for undergraduate admissions, creating two more seats in each course beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. With the ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ (SEA) plan, one seat will be earmarked for females and the other gender-neutral.
The IIT-Madras plans to implement a sports quota for Indian citizens beginning in 2024-2025. Students must achieve a place in the Common Rank List (CRL) or category-wise rank list JEE (Advanced) through a separate site administered by IIT-Madras to get admitted.
In addition, candidates must have won at least one medal in any national or international sporting tournament over the previous four years. This is the first time an IIT has introduced a sports quota, to reward and encourage students who succeed in their chosen sports.
The IIT Council has recommended creating a distinct Sports Rank List (SRL) for candidates according to their performance in a specific set of sports. The following sports are on the list: athletics, chess, cricket, badminton, basketball, football, hockey, squash, table tennis, lawn volleyball, and weightlifting. Seat allotment will be based only on SRL, with varied weights assigned to national and international games, with World Championship and SAF games receiving the most priority.
