IIT Madras Grants Admission to Five National Athletes Under SEA Category

IIT Madras has admitted 5 students under its Sports Excellence Admission (SEA) category. To qualify, candidates must rank in the CRL or category-wise list of JEE Advanced and have won at least one medal in a National/International sports competition in the past four years. Check details here

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has admitted five athletes with national-level achievements under its ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ (SEA) category for the academic year 2024-2025. The program provides two supernumerary seats in each of its undergraduate programs exclusively for Indian nationals. Out of these, one seat is reserved specifically for female students, ensuring equal opportunities for women in sports and education.

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 the ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ program for the academic year 2024-25 are:

• Arohi Bhave (Volleyball Player) from Maharashtra, enrolled in the BS (Medical Sciences and Engineering) program.
• Aryaman Mandal (Water Polo and Swimming) from West Bengal, enrolled in B.Tech (Computer Science and Engineering).
• Nandini Jain (Squash Player) from Delhi, enrolled in B.Tech (Computer Science and Engineering).
• Prabhav Gupta (Table Tennis Player) from Delhi, enrolled in B.Tech (Artificial Intelligence and Data Science).
• Vangala Vedavachan Reddy (Lawn Tennis Player) from Andhra Pradesh, enrolled in B.Tech (Artificial Intelligence and Data Science).

Admission Through Sports Excellence Admission Quota at IIT Madras

The admission process for the Sports Excellence Admission (SEA) category is based on performance in the JEE examination. Candidates must qualify for JEE (Advanced); however, the admissions are not conducted through the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) portal. Instead, they are managed through a dedicated portal operated by IIT Madras. For complete details, visit the official website at: jeeadv.iitm.ac.in/sea/information.html.

Who are eligible for IIT Madras Admission Through SEA Category?

Eligibility for IIT Madras admission under this program requires candidates to secure a position in the Common Rank List (CRL) or category-wise rank list of JEE (Advanced) and to have won at least one medal in a National or International sports competition within the last four years. A separate Sports Rank List (SRL) will be created, evaluating candidates based on their performance in a predefined list of sports. Seat allotment will be determined based on this ranking.

IIT Madras has become the first IIT in India to offer admissions to sportspersons in its undergraduate programs. This pioneering initiative aims to recognize and reward talented students who have demonstrated excellence in sports. The program encourages these deserving individuals to pursue higher education while continuing to thrive in their athletic pursuits.

Elaborating on the development of this initiative, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Head, the Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA), IIT Madras, said, “The ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ Program was conceptualized about two years ago. 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.”

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