Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has admitted five Athletes with National accomplishments under its ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ (SEA) category for the academic year 2024-2025.
This initiative is offered through two supernumerary seats in each of its undergraduate programs for Indian Nationals, of which one will be exclusively for female students.
IIT Madras became the first IIT in the country to introduce admissions for sportspersons in its undergraduate programmes. This initiative is to recognize and reward talented students who have excelled in sports. This program encourages deserving students to pursue higher education while continuing to excel in their sports.
Welcoming the Five Athletes with National accomplishments to the Institute, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “The sports excellence admission is an initiative of IIT Madras primarily to send the important message that young children must be encouraged to play during their childhood. I sincerely hope this reaches to all concerned.”
The five athletes admitted under ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ during the 2024-25 Academic Year include Arohi Bhave, (Volleyball Player) from Maharashtra - Admitted into BS (Medical Sciences and Engineering); Aryaman Mandal (Water Polo and Swimming) from West Bengal - Admitted into B. Tech (Computer Science and Engineering); Nandini Jain (Squash Player) from Delhi - Admitted into B. Tech (Computer Science and Engineering); Prabhav Gupta, (Table Tennis Player) from Delhi - Admitted into B. Tech (Artificial Intelligence and Data Science); Vangala Vedavachan Reddy (Lawn Tennis Player) from Andhra Pradesh - Admitted into B. Tech (Artificial Intelligence and Data Science).
Elaborating on the development of this initiative, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Head, Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA), IIT Madras, said, “The ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ Program was conceptualized about two years ago. Our Director, Prof. V. Kamakoti, is very keen to see diverse and meritorious talent come into IIT Madras. After a lot of deliberations internally and with various stakeholders, the Institute admitted the first cohort of Sports Excellence Admission students in July 2024 to our undergraduate programs.”
Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, who is also Dean (Emeritus), IIT Madras, added, “We had several applications but finally, we were able to admit Five Students of excellent standing and yet academically qualified. They have passed JEE (Advanced), like any other IIT student. In that sense, there is no compromise on the relative quality of academic merit that is expected but at the same time, rewards sports pursuit and excellence.”
Further, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula said, “It is a delight to speak about what sporting excellence can do, specifically through CESSA. Our endeavor is to bring technology into the world of sports to help athletes and coaches improve their performances. We are also focused on making sure that sports is mainstream by offering courses in the domain of Sports Science through Sports Physiology, Sports Psychology, Sports Biomechanics and many other research areas. CESSA is at the forefront of working with a lot of sports federations and agencies to help our National athletes excel on the world stage.”
The admission process for SEA is through the JEE examination and requires candidates to qualify JEE (Advanced) but would not be through the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) portal but rather through a separate portal operated by IIT Madras. Further information can be found on this website - https://jeeadv.iitm.ac.in/sea/information.html
To be eligible for admission through this program, candidates must have secured a position in the Common Rank List (CRL) or category-wise rank list in the JEE (Advanced) and must have won at least one medal in any National/International-level sports competition in the last four years.
A separate ‘Sports Rank List’ (SRL) will be prepared based on the total score obtained by the candidates based on their performance in a specific list of sports. The seat allotment will be done based on this list.
Students Speak
Arohi Bhave, who is a National Junior Level Volleyball Player, said, “I got into Volleyball initially for fun. As I progressed, I got good at the game and I started competing professionally. IIT Madras has always got a reputation for academic excellence. Along with that, IIT Madras provides a lot of opportunities for active research for the students. What drew me most to IIT Madras was its emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. Managing sports with academics takes a lot of dedication. I make sure to attend all my classes while practising my sports daily. It sometimes becomes tough during examinations to manage the studies but with the right guidance and sport, I think it is manageable.”
Aryaman Mandal, a National Level Water Polo Payer and Swimmer, said, “Besides my sports career, I also had an interest in the technical field. IIT Madras has proved to be one of the best colleges all over India. I would say that is the reason I chose IIT Madras. In college, managing sports and studies is not that easy but I have my friends who help me with my studies, whenever I have doubts.”
Nandini Jain, Squash Player from Delhi who represented India twice at ‘Asian Junior Games’ in 2018 & 2019, said, “I always had a nudge for science and I wanted to do something in the scientific field only. I do not think there is any other college better than IIT Madras to choose. It is the top college that you can get into for Science. I attend all the lectures. I make sure not to miss any of the lectures and classes. I try to grasp as much as possible during the lecture itself when the Professors explain everything clearly so that I do not have to spend extra time after my training. My friends here (at IIT Madras) are very supportive. We have group study sessions during which if I have doubts, I can ask them. There are very good TAs (Teaching Assistants) and Professors who held you out whenever needed.”
Prabhav Gupta, Table tennis player of National Repute, said, “I chose IIT Madras because it is the best institution in the country for pursuing engineering. It provides excellent opportunities for learning, growth and building a successful career. Managing both sports and studies is challenging here because academics are on a whole different level. However, I make time for both by studying whenever possible and practising table tennis daily. My game has improved significantly by practising with the Contingent Members (in the Institute).”
Vangala Vedavachan Reddy, Lawn Tennis Player, said, “I chose IIT Madras for its reputation and academic excellence. I balance studies and sports by keep a clear schedule. I focus on keeping a fresh mind while studying. I would say both Clearing the JEE Examinations and Winning a medal in Sports are challenging in their own ways. Cracking JEE requires constant studies while winning a medal demands physical and mental toughness and skill.”
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