Sitharaman’s initiative is expected to enhance student intake, academic facilities and overall development of the newer IITs.
Tirupati: The third-generation Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), including IIT Tirupati, are set for a significant expansion with union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing additional infrastructure for accommodating 6,500 more students in IITs while delivering her Union Budget 2025 speech on Saturday.
Sitharaman’s initiative is expected to enhance student intake, academic facilities and overall development of the newer IITs.
"The total number of students in 23 IITs has increased by 100 per cent from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh in the past 10 years. Additional infrastructure will be created in the five IITs started after 2014 to facilitate education for 6,500 more students," the union finance minister stated.
The IITs established post 2014—Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, and Goa—will benefit from this initiative.
The 2025-2026 budget allocation for IITs has been raised to Rs 11,349 crore, marking a 10 per cent rise from last year’s estimate of Rs 10,324.5 crore and an 8.4 per cent increase from the revised estimate of Rs 10,467.13 crore.
According to the budget, infrastructure expansion plans for these IITs include new hostels and academic buildings to accommodate the increased student intake.
IIT Tirupati, which currently has an approved intake of 237 undergraduate, 119 postgraduate and two integrated postgraduate students (as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework 2024 report), is expected to see a notable growth, ensuring improved facilities and a larger academic community.
"The increase in budget allocation is a progressive move that will strengthen our infrastructure and provide students with enhanced learning opportunities. This expansion is vital to meeting the growing demand for quality technical education, particularly for students from under-represented regions," a senior faculty member at IIT Tirupati told Deccan Chronicle.
Starting with a B. Tech programme in Civil, Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering, IIT Tirupati has expanded its academic offerings over the years. It introduced MS and Ph.D. research programmes in 2017, followed by Chemical Engineering and M. Tech programmes in 2018. The M. Sc. Mathematics programme commenced in 2019, while the Master of Public Policy (MPP) programme began in 2022.
Initially operating from a temporary campus on Tirupati-Renigunta Road, IIT Tirupati is now on a 548.3-acre campus in Merlapaka Village near Yerpedu. The state-of-the-art campus includes air-conditioned classrooms, advanced laboratories, computer labs, a health centre and a central library.
