It was a day of triumphant domination for Kota as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur announced the results and toppers for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2025 on Monday, June 2.
The results for the prestigious exams once again reaffirmed Kota's reputation as the country's leading hub for engineering entrance preparation.
Rajit Gupta, who studied in Kota, has secured All India Rank (AIR) 1, emerging as the national topper.
Three more students from Kota have also made it to the top 10. Saksham Jindal secured AIR 2, Akshat bagged AIR 6, and Devesh achieved AIR 8. In total, four students trained in Kota are among the All India top 10, while many others have featured in the top 50 and top 100, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
Rajit Gupta, a resident of Mahavir Nagar-III in Kota, is the son of Deepak Gupta, an engineer with the BSNL department, and Dr Shruti Agarwal, a professor at JDB Girls College, Kota. This marks the second consecutive year that a student from Kota has topped JEE Advanced.
In 2024, Ved Lahoti, also from Kota, had achieved this feat. Rajit had earlier scored 100 percentile in the JEE Main January session and secured AIR 16 in the April session.
Speaking after the results, Rajit said, "During my preparation, my main focus was on not repeating past mistakes. Correcting errors strengthens your foundation in the subject. I believe happiness is the key to success. I try to stay happy in every situation. Even now, whenever I get time, I play with children in the colony."
He credited his success to the guidance of his teachers and the structured study material provided by his coaching institute.
"There is no need to get distracted if you follow your teachers and stick to the right resources," he added. Rajit had earlier scored 96.8% in his Class 10 board exams.
Despite frequent reports of student suicides in recent years, Kota continues to produce top-rankers in India's toughest engineering exam. In the past five months alone, 15 students have died by suicide in Kota, raising concerns among parents. As a result, the number of students enrolling in Kota this year has dropped significantly.
According to initial estimates, only 1.3 to 1.5 lakh students enrolled in coaching institutes in 2025, down from the 2.5 to 3 lakh range last year.
This steep decline in enrollment has triggered an economic crisis in the city. PG and hostel owners are struggling to repay loans or pay rent, while the local economy, dependent on students, is under severe stress.
Rickshaw drivers, tea stall vendors, book sellers, and many others who rely on student footfall are facing mounting losses, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
Amid this crisis, the outstanding performance of Kota students in JEE Advanced 2025 has brought a ray of hope to the city's residents and its economy.
