IIT seat capacity stands at 18,826 in 2026, according to reports. Of these, 3,776 are female-only supernumerary seats. That is about 20.1% of the total.
A supernumerary seat is an additional seat, created over the regular pool. The reported capacity includes the female-only ones, which are extra seats for female candidates. Around one in five seats has been of this kind since 2024.
There is a caveat for parents, however. These figures show seat availability. They do not show the number of women who enrolled.
How the numbers have moved
Total capacity was 16,598 in 2022. By 2026, it had risen to 18,826. That added 2,228 seats, an increase of 13.4%.
- 2023: up by 787 seats, about 4.7% growth
- 2024: up by 375 seats, growth of 2.2%
- 2025: up by 400 seats, growth of 2.3%
- 2026: up by 666 seats, growth of 3.7%
Female-only supernumerary seats grew from 1,567 in 2022 to 3,776 in 2026. They fell to 1,453 in 2023, then jumped to 3,566 in 2024, an increase of 2,113 seats. They rose to 3,632 in 2025, up by 66, and by 144 more in 2026.
Their share of total capacity was about 9.4% in 2022 and 8.4% in 2023. It was 20.1% in 2024, 20% in 2025 and 20.1% in 2026.
Why the policy exists
The policy began in 2018 to improve women's representation in the IITs. Female enrolment was around 8% then.
The government set targets through additional seats: 14% for 2018-19, 17% for 2019-20 and 20% for 2020-21. The IITs also created 835 such seats in 2018-19 and 1,122 in 2019-20.
What parents should read carefully
Under the policy, female candidates could compete for both the gender-neutral pool and the female-only pool.
In 2025, 3,664 female candidates secured IIT seats. That was 20.15% of the 18,188 seats allotted. Of them, 3,633 came through the female-only pool. Also, 31 came through the gender-neutral pool.
Seats allotted in the final counselling round can differ from reported capacity. Also, extra supernumerary seats were created for specific categories and tie-breaking cases.
The reports also separate foreign nationals from OCI/PIO candidates treated as Indian nationals. Foreign nationals allotted seats numbered 66 in 2022. OCI/PIO candidates securing seats rose from 75 in 2023 to 88 in 2024 and were 96 in 2025.
What happens next
Several points are not yet known. These include the total seats allotted each year from 2022 to 2026 and how female enrolment compares with seat availability. The specific targets or policies for female-only seats after 2020-21 are also not yet known. Parents may want to check the figures against official seat matrices.
