The total seat capacity across the Indian Institutes of Technology ( IITs ) increased by 13.4% between 2022 and 2026, from 16,598 to 18,826, according to Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced data. This represents an addition of 2,228 seats over the period.

The expansion was accompanied by a sharp increase in female-only supernumerary seats, which rose from 1,567 in 2022 to 3,776 in 2026. The number of seats allotted in the final counselling round also varied from the reported capacity, partly because additional supernumerary seats were created for specific categories and tie-breaking cases.

IIT seat capacity increased every year between 2022 and 2026, although the pace varied. It rose by 787 seats in 2023, by 375 in 2024, by 400 in 2025 and by 666 in 2026. The largest year-on-year increase was between 2022 and 2023, when capacity grew by about 4.7%. Growth slowed to 2.2% in 2024 and 2.3% in 2025, before picking up to 3.7% in 2026.

The total capacity includes female-only supernumerary seats.…