Why is getting into IIT Bombay tougher than getting into Harvard?
IIT Bombay vs Harvard — why does people say IIT is harder to get into?
it's about acceptance rates relative to applicants:
- Harvard: ~3.5% acceptance rate from ~57,000 applicants = ~2,000 students admitted per year
- IIT Bombay CSE (and top IITs overall): approximately 0.02% of JEE Main aspirants get the top IIT branches. About 13 lakh students appear for JEE Main; ~1.7 lakh qualify for JEE Advanced; roughly 16,000 get IITs — that's about 1.2% of all JEE Main takers. For CSE at IIT Bombay specifically: ~150 seats for 13+ lakh JEE Main takers = 0.01%
so on pure acceptance rate math for the top programs, IIT Bombay CSE is more selective than Harvard's overall admit rate.
however the comparison isn't fully apples-to-apples: Harvard selects holistically (essays, recommendations, extracurriculars) while IIT is purely exam-based. Harvard's applicant pool is global and self-selected; JEE has near-universal participation from Indian 12th-grade science students.
different systems, different difficulty types. but the math of selection ratios supports the claim.
Comments
The "IIT Bombay vs Harvard" comparison is actually one of the most interesting data-backed arguments in education, and most answers just throw numbers without the full context.
The admission statistics case:
- JEE Advanced 2024: ~14 lakh students took JEE Main, ~1.8 lakh qualified for JEE Advanced, ~17,000 got IIT seats across ALL 23 IITs. That's approximately 0.12% acceptance from original pool.
- Harvard UG 2024: ~57,000 applications, ~3.6% acceptance rate.
- So purely by acceptance rate: IIT admissions ARE statistically harder from the original applicant pool.
But the comparison is apples vs oranges:
- JEE is a single 3-hour exam — pure test performance in PCM. Harvard evaluates a holistic profile (grades, essays, extracurriculars, recommendations, personal story).
- JEE has a massive dedicated coaching industry (Kota alone has ~2 lakh students preparing at any time). This creates artificial funnel compression.
- Harvard's applicant pool is global; JEE's is primarily Indian students from specific high school tracks (PCM).
- Post-admission: Harvard has more international brand value; IIT Bombay has stronger engineering industry recognition within India and comparable recognition in technical fields globally.
Bottom line: For a specific type of student (PCM-focused, exam-oriented), cracking IIT is genuinely as hard or harder. For a broader definition of "getting into elite education," the comparison gets complex. Both are exceptional achievements by any standard.
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The nature of the admission procedure and its level of difficulty at IIT and Harvard are too vast.
IIT Bombay: To get admission here one needs to clear and score well in JEE Advance. It’s important to note that you don’t necessarily have to score well in JEE Mains; all you need to do is qualify for Advance.
Harvard University: Getting admission at Harvard requires an extremely high GPA around 3.9/4 along with a very high SAT score. Moreover, your extracurricular background should speak volumes of your talent.
Depending on your background and skills you might find getting admission at IIT Bombay harder than at Harvard. I think the below 2 points are the main reasons people have this general opinion.
- One can get admission to Harvard by donating a substantial amount to the University. But this is possible only if you are above average. On the other hand, being a government institution, IIT admits students on the basis of merits only.
- The acceptance rate of IIT is much lower than that of Harvard. However, this is not a logical parameter since India has a bigger population so the candidates are also more in number. Another reason why IIT has a higher acceptance rate is because of the ease of application. One just needs to prepare for the JEE Exam to become a candidate. In the case of Harvard, a lot of formalities are required like writing statement of purpose, obtain letters of recommendation and even paying a hefty application fee. For this reason, only most students prefer IIT over Harvard and thereby increasing the rate of admission.
So one college might be easier for you but difficult for others and vice versa. It all depends on individual capabilities.
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IITs get more applications than Harvard. So, from a statistical point of view, one can argue that getting into IIT Bombay is more difficult than Harvard. The acceptance rate of IIT Bombay is 0.02%, while it's 5% for Harvard.
But comparing just the raw numbers, may not be fair. Getting into IIT Bombay is pretty straightforward if you can pull it off. You need to score well in JEE, and if you can clear the cutoff, you can get admission. While you can never be sure if you can get into Harvard or not. For admission, Harvard looks into SAT, AP, TOFEL (international students), past academic records, extra-curricular activities, projects, recommendations, interviews, workshops attended, and so on. Also, Harvard application fee is $75. Most people don’t apply, as they know they don’t have a chance of getting in. This is the reason why Harvard and other ivy league colleges have low application rates.
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Shashi Tharoor has explained this very well in one of his motivational speeches. In 1975, every graduate from IIT was guaranteed scholarships at American institutions. Just getting admission at IIT was enough to prove credibility. IITs have such a reputation.
Infosys founder Sir Narayan Murthy was asked by an American reporter, what is his son going to do and where he applied. To this Narayan Murthy replied, his son has applied for IITs but in case he does not get in, he is going to Harvard.
This statement was surprising for many. Interestingly, his son didn’t get admission at IITs and went on to pursue his studies at Cornell and later at Harvard for his Ph.D.
The reason behind is that Harvard accepts 10% of the application submitted. Whereas, at IITs, only 10,000 students get selected out of 10 lakh applicants. And the acceptance rate is 0.1%.
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