IIT Madras vs IIIT Hyderabad

IIT Madras (NIRF #1) and IIIT Hyderabad (NIRF #38, NAAC A++) sit at the top of Indian engineering for CSE specifically. IIT Madras is a centrally-funded IIT; IIIT-H is a deemed university. IITM admits via JEE Advanced; IIIT-H via JEE Main with separate counselling.

IIT Madras offers ~12 disciplines including CSE, EE, Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, Naval Architecture and more. IIIT Hyderabad is exceptionally CSE-focused with AI-ML, Data Science, Computer Vision, Cyber Security, Theoretical Computer Science, Robotics and VLSI specialisations. IITM has broader engineering scope; IIIT-H has deeper CSE depth.

IIT Madras 2024 placements: highest ₹2.1 crore, average ₹25-28 LPA, ~95% rate. CSE/AI medians ₹35-45 LPA. IIIT Hyderabad 2024 placements: highest ~₹1.6 crore, average ₹30-40 LPA, ~95% rate. CSE/AI-Data Science medians ₹35-50 LPA. IIIT-H has higher CSE-specific median; IITM has higher overall peak.

IIT Madras first-year fees ~₹2,50,000 with full waivers for SC/ST/PwD and substantial concessions for low-income families. IIIT Hyderabad tuition ~₹3,00,000-4,00,000/year — more expensive than IITM but still subsidised compared to most private deemed-universities.

IIT Madras 617-acre Adyar campus has substantial ecological richness with deer/blackbuck. IIIT Hyderabad 66-acre Gachibowli campus is compact, urban-tech-corridor adjacent (HITEC City). IITM for ecological academic environment + Chennai cosmopolitan; IIIT-H for tech-cluster proximity + CSE-focused culture.

IIT Madras is the choice for students with JEE Advanced top-200 rank seeking the broadest IIT engineering experience and India ecological premier campus. IIIT Hyderabad is the choice for CSE-focused students with JEE Main 99.7+ percentile who prioritise CSE-specific placement quality and Hyderabad tech-cluster immersion.