JoSAA 2026 Analysis: Why has Electrical Engineering become the preferred branch for students at IITs?
The admission process for a total of 18,951 B.Tech, Integrated M.Tech, and dual-degree seats across the country's 23 IITs and IISc Bengaluru under JoSAA Counselling 2026 has concluded. Education expert Dev Sharma, who analyzes seat allocation data, notes that despite the rising trend of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Data Science, core branches like Electrical Engineering at IITs continue to hold their appeal.
This is evident from the fact that Electrical Engineering seats at top IITs—such as IIT Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, and Madras—were filled by candidates with very high ranks. To secure admission in Electrical Engineering at these four institutes, students had to rank within the top 1,171 in the JEE Advanced 2026 Common Rank List (CRL).
Why does the demand for Electrical Engineering persist?
According to Dev Sharma, students pursuing Electrical Engineering at IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, and Madras) find lucrative career opportunities in the power, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors. Furthermore, there is a consistent demand for electrical engineers in fields related to energy generation, transmission, distribution, and emerging technologies.
This is why the craze for Electrical Engineering remains strong among students and parents, alongside the interest in Computer Science, Data Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence.
Electrical Engineering seats at IIT Bombay filled up at rank 411
According to JoSAA Counselling 2026 data, all Electrical Engineering seats at IIT Bombay were allocated by rank 411 (CRL). This clearly indicates intense competition among students for this branch. Cut-offs for Core Branches at IITs
IIT Bombay
Electrical Engineering
Rank 175 to 411
Mechanical Engineering
Rank 380 to 1900
Civil Engineering
Rank 385 to 4417
IIT Delhi
Electrical Engineering
Rank 428 to 612
Mechanical Engineering
Rank 861 to 2205
Civil Engineering
Rank 179 to 4901
IIT Kanpur
Electrical Engineering
Rank 616 to 1171
Mechanical Engineering
Rank 2320 to 3178
Civil Engineering
Rank 5010 to 7177
IIT Madras
Electrical Engineering
Rank 231 to 749
Mechanical Engineering
Rank 543 to 2619
Civil Engineering
Rank 4450 to 6225
Dev Sharma stated that data from the JoSAA counseling seat allocation indicates that securing a rank within the top 6,225 is essential for admission into any of the core branches—Electrical, Mechanical, or Civil—at IIT Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, and Madras.
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