AI and Data Engineering at IIT Ropar Sees Sharp Rise in Student Preferences

The Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) is the managing body for the conduct of JEE Advanced Examinations. JEE Advanced 2025 was conducted successfully on May 18, 2025, with IIT Kanpur as the organising institute. The JIC report was released on August 25. This report provides a Choice Count metric, which measures the number of students who expressed interest in a particular IIT and branch combination. Using this data, we analyse the recent trends in student preferences with special emphasis on AI and Data Engineering at IIT Ropar, allowing readers to make informed decisions.

What Does the Choice Count Signify?

In the JIC report, the Choice Count for a particular program refers to the number of students who listed that program somewhere in their Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) counselling list. Importantly, this metric does not consider whether these candidates were ultimately allotted to the branch or not. It captures only the expressed preference during the choice-filling process.

Why is Choice Count Useful?

• It captures the overall popularity of a particular branch-institute combination, because even students who never reach the branch in allocation are counted if they list it in their preferences.
• A higher Choice Count indicates greater competition and stronger perceived career prospects.
• It helps an institute track demand across branches and years, which can inform decisions on increasing seats, starting new programmes, or strengthening less preferred programmes.

Branch-wise Choice Count at IIT Ropar

Branch	Choice Count 2025	Choice Count 2024
Chemical Engineering	10,788	9,716
Civil Engineering	10,947	9,693
Computer Science and Engineering	18,702	16,326
Electrical Engineering	14,943	13,402
Engineering Physics	8,037	7,134
AI and Data Engineering	16,141	13,764
Mathematics and Computing	13,257	11,493
Mechanical Engineering	13,151	11,811
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering	8,472	7,746
Digital Agriculture	5,705	–
Electrical Engineering (ICD and Technology)	11,459	–

Also Read: JEE Advanced 2026 Exam Date Announced

AI and Data Engineering at IIT Ropar

The Choice Count for AI and Data Engineering at IIT Ropar (AIDE) increased by approximately 17% in 2025 compared to 2024, which is the highest among all branches.

1. Eligibility for AIDE at IIT Ropar

For admission into BTech across IITs, one is required to qualify the JEE Advanced Examination with Top Ranks. The table below provides the cutoff for AIDE at IIT Ropar in both 2025 and 2024.

Year	Opening Rank	Closing Rank
2025	2558	3500
2024	2254	2656

*Above are General Category Cutoffs

2. Curriculum for AIDE at IIT Ropar

The following is a list of computer and mathematics-related courses for AIDE that are most relevant to AIDE.

Semester Number	Course Name
1	Calculus, Intro to Computer Programming in C
2	Linear Algebra, Mathematical Foundations for AI and DE, Intro to Electrical Engineering
3	Foundation of Computer Systems, Differential Equations, Data Structures and Algorithms, Signals and Systems
4	Machine Learning, Control Engineering, Optimisation Techniques
5	Databases, Artificial Intelligence, HCI and Visualisation, Ethics in AI
6	Big Data Analytics, Deep Learning, MLOps Lab

Tentative List of Electives offered is given below.

Nonlinear Control Techniques	Cloud Computing
Information Theory and Coding	Robotics
Natural Language Processing	IoT
Information Retrieval	Computer Networks
Text Processing	Probabilistic Graphical Models
Digital Signal Processing	Advanced Machine Learning
Advanced DSP	ANN
Computer Vision	Data Mining
Speech Processing	Autonomous MultiAgent Systems
Digital Image Processing	Security Analytics
Advanced Computer Vision	Computer Graphics Lab
Surveillance Video Analytics	Biomedical Image Processing & Analysis
Advanced AI	Affective Computing and Interaction
Predictive Analysis	Multimedia Surveillance Systems
Distributed Systems	Probabilistic Graphical Models

Also, for all other branches, an option for Minor in AI is present that requires to take 15 credits worth of AI courses in addition to 145 credits required to complete a basic BTech degree. If one chooses the Minor Programme, the same will be mentioned in their degrees, in addition to a basic BTech degree.

3. Fees for AIDE at IIT Ropar 

	Gen/OBC/EWS	Gen/OBC/EWS(Income <1 lac)	Gen/OBC/EWS(Income 1-5 lac)	SC/ST/PwD
Semester Fees	1,15,645	15,645	48,979	15,645
Mess + Hostel	19,600+3,000

*This is per semester fees

4. Placements for AIDE at IIT Ropar

The first batch of AIDE at IIT Ropar will graduate in 2026. So, JEE Advanced aspirants should have placement records to decide if they want to choose AIDE at IIT Ropar by the time they write JEE Advanced in 2026. Placements are expected to be strong because of growth in AI and the wide coverage of the curriculum.

Choice Count Trends

1. Computing-Related Branches:

• It is hardly surprising that Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science dominate student preferences at the national level. Strong hiring trends in software make these disciplines particularly attractive.
• At IIT Ropar, this trend is reflected clearly in the Choice Count data. Computer Science and Engineering remains the most preferred programme in absolute numbers. AIDE recorded the highest percentage jump in Choice Count.
• Mathematics and Computing (MnC) has emerged as another high-demand programme. Its curriculum is designed to train students for highly quantitative and algorithmic roles in technology, finance, data and research-oriented careers, which contributes to its steadily increasing popularity.

2. Core Branches

• On average, the Core Courses: EE, Civil, Mechanical, and Metallurgy saw a 10% increase in Choice Count compared to 2024.
• An increasing number of students are gaining interest in IIT Ropar across a broad range of disciplines. Electrical Engineering (EE) is the most preferred of the Core branches. EE is viewed as a flexible discipline that spans hardware, power systems, and electronics. Hence, it is most preferred after computing-related branches.
• The continued demand for these branches reflects how students perceive IIT Ropar’s laboratory infrastructure and career prospects, thanks to the IIT ecosystem.

3. New/Specialised Branches

• The Engineering Physics (EP) branch continues to attract students interested in both deep theoretical physics and the applications in quantum and semiconductor technologies.
• In practice, EP is often recognised by students as a bridge between theoretical physics and industry roles, which may explain why it attracts attention despite being more demanding academically.
• In 2025, IIT Ropar introduced two new programmes: Electrical Engineering (Integrated Circuit Design and Technology) and Digital Agriculture. These are specialised programmes focused on new technologies, including semiconductors/VLSI and AI-driven agriculture.
• Digital Agriculture is offered under the School of Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering (SAIDE) at IIT Ropar, positioned as India’s first AI-centric BTech focused on Agriculture.

Also Read: JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility

Conclusions

Overall, the Choice Count trends for IIT Ropar in 2025 suggest a growing preference for AI and other computer-related disciplines, alongside sustained interest in core engineering branches. The introduction of specialised programmes further signals the institute’s focus on emerging technologies. While Choice Count does not reflect final seat allocation, it serves as a useful indicator of student perception, demand, and evolving academic priorities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Does a higher Choice Count mean higher cutoffs?

Not necessarily. Choice Count is the number of candidates who had a certain program in their list of preferences on the JoSAA website. While a higher Choice Count implies a higher level of competition, the cut-off can still depend on a variety of factors like the availability of seats, candidate rankings, category-wise cut-off, and inter-IIT preferences.

2. Is Choice Count the same as the number of seats filled?

No. Choice Count does not signify seat allotment. It counts preferences expressed during choice filling, regardless of whether a candidate was ultimately allotted that branch or not.

3. Why are newer programmes showing lower Choice Counts?

It is normal for newer programmes to have lower Choice Counts in their initial years due to limited awareness, a smaller number of seats, and uncertainty among candidates regarding curriculum and career outcomes. Over time, as placement data becomes available and awareness improves, these numbers may change.

4. Does a lower Choice Count imply weaker career prospects?

Not necessarily. Choice Count only reflects the student perception at the time of counselling, not how the programme performs in the long run. Several branches with lower Choice Counts can still have strong academic training, research, and career prospects to offer.