IIIT

IIIT stands for Indian Institute of Information Technology. It refers to a group of public higher education and research institutes in India that focus on information technology, computer science, and related fields. The IIITs were established by central and state governments under different governance models, often with industry participation, to expand IT education and research and to foster innovation.

The first IIITs emerged in the late 1990s as part of national information technology policy initiatives. The prototype is IIIT Hyderabad, founded in 1998, which later gained deemed-to-be-university status. Since then a number of IIITs have been established in various states, each operating under its own governance structure—some as autonomous institutes, some as state universities, and some as public-private partnerships. The IIIT network is not a single university; it comprises multiple institutes with similar missions but different administrative arrangements.

Programs and research: Most IIITs offer undergraduate programs such as BTech or B.E. in information technology, computer science, and electronics and communication engineering, along with postgraduate programs including MTech, MS by research, and PhD. Advanced research areas include artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, cybersecurity, software engineering, computer networks, and hardware design. Many IIITs maintain industry collaborations, international partners, and technology transfer offices to support research and startups.

Admissions: Undergraduate admissions are typically through national level engineering entrances (for example, JEE Main or other state-level tests, depending on the institute), followed by centralized or institute-specific counselling. Postgraduate admissions are through institute- or university-administered entrance exams and criteria.

Notable institutes: IIIT Hyderabad is widely regarded for its research output and academic programs; other prominent IIITs include IIIT Delhi and IIIT Bangalore (International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore).