The inter-IIT Student Exchange
Programme is a programme wherein IIT students spend a semester in other IIT
campuses and study different courses. This programme is regulated by
the MHRD and through the mutual understanding between the partnering IITs. No formal documentation or MoU is required
for this, unlike with foreign institutes. Despite such efforts, it has been
noted that very few students opt for inter-IIT exchange and would rather go to
foreign institutes for a semester.

IIT students can chose to go for a
semester, either to another IIT or to a foreign institute for an exchange
programme. Prof T.A. Gonsalves, Director of IIT-Mandi,
feels, “Foreign institutes give a better cultural exposure to students,
but going to other IITs for a semester is academically better.
Students find it easier, as compared to foreign institutes, to
fit in in sister institutes and spend more time focusing on academics.” Prof
Ramamurthy K. from IIT Madras says, “Many of the newer IITs send their students
to our institute since they may lack the infrastructure to provide certain
specializations like design semantics, architecture, marine biology, etc.”
Some of the newer IITs are located in areas miles away from cities. They
function out of a transit campuses with lesser facilities as compared to older
IITs. In fact, going to other IITs is in several ways similar to foreign
exchange programmes. First, students get to learn subjects not available in
their maiden institutes and second, they don’t need to retake the same semester
once they return home from the host IIT.

There is also a Credit Transfer Policy in IITs
wherein credits earned in the host IIT during the semester can be transferred
to the student’s home institute. According to Prof Gonsalves, “If students
meet the credit distribution requirement (number of credits required to pass
different sections) then they need not retake similar subjects in their home
IIT.” Besides, students can also choose the subjects to pursue in the host
IIT, irrespective of whether they are a part of that discipline or not. Prof
Vinod Kumar, Deputy Director, IIT-Roorkee says, “There is a subject
mapping procedure wherein we compare courses in both colleges and depending on
the flexibility of curriculum in that discipline, the student is allowed to
take up courses in other specializations as well.”

On the other hand, there are some IIT
professors who don’t find any benefit in such programmes and consider foreign
exchange programmes more beneficial for students. Prof Anurag Sharma, Academic
Affairs Dean IIT Delhi says, “Going to other IITs does not add much value to
students at the undergraduate level. The teaching techniques and curricula are
more or else similar throughout all IITs. It is advisable at the PhD or Masters
level, to send students to IITs with better laboratory facilities.” Raj Mohan,
an exchange student to IIT Madras feels, ” IIT Madras has better facilities to
pursue the same curriculum. However, I would have preferred to have gone to a
foreign institute instead because there isn’t much difference in learning
throughout all the IITs.”

The Inter-IIT Student Exchange Programme
is pretty unpopular among IIT students despite flexibility in procedures for
the same. Professors and students feel that the NKN (National Knowledge
Network) and e-resources shared between IITs have made inter-IIT learning more
flexible. Hence, students would prefer to go to foreign institutes which give
them an international learning perspective. As a result, every year only 3 to 4 students
choose other IITs for exchange programmes. In the last 2 years, IIT Mandi has
sent only 4 students to IIT Madras.