IITs may let other engineering institutes accept JEE scores

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) may allow other engineering institutes in the country to admit students through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

This, however, is subject to approval from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and IIT council, IIT directors have said.

At present, IIT JEE is held only for admissions to the 15 IITs; Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad; and the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University.

The suggestion was made today at a meeting held between the IIT directors and the additional MHRD secretary at IIT Kharagpur to discuss the examination reforms proposed by a panel of IIT directors.

“We are aware of the fact that if IITs conduct second-tier test, other institutes could make similar demands. So, we suggested that a few other engineering institutes could also be allowed to accept JEE for admissions. In this manner we would be able to meet the aspirations of both, the IITs and other engineering institutes. This however, would need the MHRD’s and IIT council’s approval,” an IIT director told Business Standard on condition of anonymity.

The move, if allowed, could be on the lines of the Common Admission Test (CAT) held by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) for admissions on their campuses. Other than the IIMs, over 150 B-schools also use CAT to admit students.

“Scrapping JEE is not a good idea as the quality of students IITs get through it is important for the institute. What we can do is extend it to other institutes too,” confirmed anther IIT director.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had appointed a panel of IIT directors to explore the possibility of replacing the JEE and other engineering exams held across the country with a single entrance test, focusing on “general aptitude” and not knowledge of specific subjects.