IIT-M to allow school students to apply for B.Sc program

The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) is now allowing students of classes XI and XII to apply for B.Sc. in Programming and Data Science. The institute announced that college students, working professionals, and those taking a career break are eligible to apply.

The first-of-its-kind initiative, which was launched in 2020, is now into its third year with the institute calling for applications for the May 2022 term. It said that allowing school students to apply for the program is aimed at taking pressure off students by giving them an opportunity to secure admission to IIT Madras while in school.

“Students who complete Class XI by May 2022 or those currently in Class XII can apply for the May 2022 Term qualifier process and if they qualify, they can start the coursework after completing their class XII. There is no limit on the number of seats and hence anyone who qualifies can enter the program,” the institute said.

Learners who are eligible for the JEE Advanced 2021 exam can directly join this BSc Program in May 2022, while the last date to apply for the May term of the Data Science Program is April 20, 2022.

“Through this program, we wish to ensure that high-quality education is accessible to anyone who dreams to study at an IIT or build a career in Programming and Data Science. This program, we hope, will be a game-changer in the field of education paving the way for many other large-scale programs to be offered by us and other institutes,” Prof. Andrew Thangaraj, Professor In-Charge, BSc in Programming and Data Science, IIT-M, said.

More than 60,000 applications have been received for the BSc qualifier process so far and currently, more than 12,500 students from all over India and outside India are pursuing the BSc program, the institute said.

Dr Vignesh Muthuvijayan, Professor In-Charge, BSc in Programming and Data Science, IIT-M, said the program opens the door to the world of data science and programming where the demand for skilled resources is very high for anyone from any background and of any age group.

“This tailor-made program now admits students who qualify to write JEE Advanced, providing them with an option to fulfil their dream of studying from an IIT and ensuring their hard work and toil is rewarded,” he added.

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