For lakhs of students in India, the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced is the only gateway to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), but for five students this year, IIT-Kanpur opened its doors without them having to take the high-pressure exam at all.

Bypassing the traditional JEE Advanced route, IIT-Kanpur has admitted five students to its Bachelor of Science (BS), and Bachelor of Technology (BTech) programmes solely on the basis of their performance in international science Olympiads and training camps, as per a report by The Times of India.

Other IITs are also opening new avenues for talented students. IIT-Madras recently launched distinct admission pathways, including Sports Excellence Admission (SEA) and Science Olympiad Excellence Admissions (SCOPE). 

IIT-Gandhinagar has announced its own Olympiad route with detailed criteria and guidelines published on its website, while IIT-Bombay will admit students into its BS Mathematics programme through the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO) pathway.

Talking to TOI, IIT-Kanpur Director Prof Manindra Agrawal said, “We are happy to note that five students have been admitted through the Olympiad programme at IIT-Kanpur. We initiated this channel to admit bright students who may not be able to do well in JEE Advanced due to their preoccupation with Olympiad training.”

“We hope that this will motivate our bright students to train seriously for the Olympiad and bring laurels to the country,” Prof Agrawal added.