IIT Madras to Skip JoSAA for BTech, BS Admissions Under 'Fine Arts and Culture Excellence' Quota; JEE Advanced Mandatory

IIT Madras becomes the first among all the  Indian Institute of Technology to introduce the ‘Fine Arts and Culture Excellence’ (FACE) quota for BTech, BS admissions from the academic year 2025 - 26. Admission will be based on JEE Advanced scores but not via JoSAA counselling. Read more below.

IIT Madras introduces the ‘Fine Arts and Culture Excellence’ (FACE) quota to admit students to its much-coveted undergraduate programs. This quota will allow students to skip JoSAA counselling and take admission to BTech/BS courses via JEE Advanced. For each BTech and BS program at IIT Madras, two seats will be reserved under this quota. One of these seats will be specifically for female applicants, while the other will be open to all genders. The FACE quota aims to recognise and support students who excel in fine arts and cultural activities.

Eligibility for IIT Madras FACE Admission via JEE Advanced

IIT Madras is introducing supernumerary seats for its undergraduate programs under the FACE admissions scheme, allocating two such seats per program. This initiative is aimed at Indian National candidates and Overseas Citizens of India/Persons of Indian Origin (OCI/PIO) who elect to be treated as Indian Nationals during their JEE (Advanced) 2025 registration.

Criteria 1: Eligible candidates must have recognised achievements in one or more specified categories related to fine arts and cultural activities as mentioned below: 

1. Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar under Arts and Culture awarded by the Ministry of Women and Child Empowerment, Government of India.
2. National Bal Shree Honour in creative performance, creative art, creative painting awarded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
3. National Youth Award under Art/Culture awarded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
4. Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar awarded by Sangeet Nataka Akademi, Government of India
5. Active B-grade certification from All India Radio or Doordarshan, Prasar Bharati, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India during the last SIX years.
6. Empaneled Artists to perform in Indian Festivals Abroad by the Government of India in the last SIX years.
7. Award of Scholarship to Young Artists (SYA), Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
8. Award in National Youth Festival Competition in stage 4 where the presentation (in the domain of Arts and Culture) is made to the Prime Minister.
9. Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Award (CCRT), Ministry of Culture, GoI.

Criteria 2: Also, candidates should be either Indian Nationals (by birth or naturalisation) or OCI/PIO individuals who have opted for equal treatment with Indian Nationals during the JEE (Advanced) 2025 process.

Criteria 3: Additionally, candidates are required to successfully qualify in the JEE (Advanced) 2025 and secure a position in the Common Rank List (CRL) or relevant category-specific rank list. It is imperative that candidates can be positioned in any of the rank categories defined, ensuring that the benefits associated with reservation policies remain intact while maintaining the integrity of the academic standards.

Criteria 4: Candidates must also meet the minimum Class XII marks stipulated in the eligibility criteria for IITs.

Also Read: JEE Advanced 2025 Exam Date Announced at jeeadv.ac.in; Exam on May 18

IIT Madras FACE Admission Process

Candidates seeking admission to IIT Madras under the Fine Arts and Culture Excellence (FACE) category must apply via the dedicated IITM-FACE admission portal. It’s important to note that the FACE admission process is different from the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) framework; instead, it operates on a separate platform managed by IIT Madras, which may involve other IITs in future cycles under this scheme. However, for the 2025-26 academic year, IIT Madras will exclusively provide admissions through this pathway.

Candidates will be evaluated and assigned scores based on their demonstrated excellence in fine arts and culture, as outlined in the specified categories. A separate FACE Rank List (FRL) will be generated, reflecting candidates' total scores derived from their participation in recognised fine arts and culture events, as well as awards and scholarships.

Only those awards, scholarships, and recognitions explicitly listed will be factored into the FRL. Seat allocation will occur in multiple rounds, relying solely on the FRL rankings.

Once a candidate is allocated a seat in any allocation round, they must decide to either 'Accept' or 'Reject' the seat, along with the submission of the seat acceptance fee by the designated deadline. Should a candidate choose to reject the offered seat, they will be permanently excluded from the FACE seat allocation process. Alternatively, if they accept, they must pay the Seat Acceptance Fee before the deadline and select one of two options—either 'Freeze' or 'Slide'—similar to the procedures established in the JoSAA admissions. Additionally, candidates must provide proof of withdrawal from the JoSAA 2025 process.

Read More:

• JEE Mains 2025 Admit Card download link to activate in January; check date here
• GITAM GAT 2025 Application Form Released at apply.gitam.edu; Check Exam Dates
• COMEDK UGET 2025 exam on May 10; Exam pattern explained
• GUJCET Registration 2025 Starts at gujcet.gseb.org; Apply Till December 31

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