How Many Students Actually Finish the IITM BS Degree?

Fewer than the headline enrolment numbers suggest, but for a clear reason. IIT Madras's Data Science Program Report (September 2025) says that by the May 2025 term, 20,145 students had completed the Foundation level, 963 the BSc and 446 the full BS. The low numbers do not mean most students failed. The same report counts 83% of starters as still active, because the programme only began in 2021 and a BS takes at least 4 years.

At the June 2025 convocation, 867 students received a BSc or BS. News coverage of the June 2026 convocation reported 831 more degrees (634 BS and 197 BSc).

Completions by level

These are Data Science (DS) figures from the September 2025 report, counted term by term up to May 2025.

Finishing a level and leaving are two different steps. The same report says 216 students had exited with an original BSc certificate and 243 with a BS. Many others who finished the BSc carried on to the BS level.

Completions term by term

The first BS completions appear in September 2023. The numbers are much higher now than in 2023, though they move up and down from term to term.

Convocation numbers

Convocation figures are ceremony totals, counted differently from the DS report, so the two do not match exactly.

The 2025 press release called it the first batch of 4-year BS graduates. The 2026 coverage put the total at 1,460 learners eligible for awards. Read more in the IITM BS convocation.

Why most students have not finished yet

• There is a minimum time. The handbook issues a BSc certificate only after at least 9 terms (3 years) and a BS after at least 12 terms (4 years), counted from your first term. Fast credits do not bring an early certificate.
• Most students joined recently. By our count from the report, about 6 in 10 of the 56,457 DS starters began in May 2023 or later. None of them could have reached 12 terms by May 2025.
• Most study part-time. The DS academics page expects about 10 hours a week per foundation course and 15 per diploma or degree course. Many students do this next to a college degree or a job. The ES FAQ expects part-time learners to finish that degree in 4 to 8 years.
• The maximum is long. You get up to 6 years for a BSc and 8 years for the BS. Details are in the maximum duration rules.

What these numbers do not tell you

• There is no official completion rate. Dividing 446 by all starters mixes old and new batches. The report does not publish a rate.
• They are for Data Science only. We found no completion figures for Electronic Systems outside the convocation totals.
• They do not split by student type. We cannot tell whether dual degree students, standalone students or working professionals finish faster.

See the IITM BS dropout rate for what the "active" figures mean.

How to finish on time

1. Plan around the checkpoints. For DS students admitted from May 2024, that means at least 4 foundation courses in 4 terms, 6 in 6, and all 8 in 9. The diploma has its own milestones, covered in the diploma checkpoints.
2. Finish diploma projects a term early. The handbook advises completing the projects for a milestone in the term before it, not in the milestone term. It suggests registering for the BDM project by your second diploma term.
3. Protect your degree entry. To enter the DS degree level you need a diploma CGPA of 6.0 and a project CGPA of 7.0. Students who joined from May 2026 must also finish foundation and diploma within 15 terms.
4. Fill the exit form in its window. Original certificates need Senate approval, and BSc or BS students must pay the alumni card fee first. See how to exit and get your certificate.
5. Check your pace every term. If you are behind, add a course when you can rather than waiting for a warning. Our guide to how long IITM BS takes shows realistic timelines.

Common questions

What share of IITM BS students graduate?

No official figure exists. The report gives completions and active students, not a graduation rate. Any percentage you see was calculated by someone else, often by dividing across batches that have not had time to finish.

Can I finish the BS in less than 4 years?

You can earn credits faster, but the handbook processes a BS certificate only after 12 terms from your first term. A BSc needs 9 terms.

Are Electronic Systems students included in these numbers?

The level-by-level figures are for Data Science only. The 2025 press release describes both the DS and ES programmes but does not split the 867 graduates by programme.

Why are there more BSc completions than BS completions?

The BSc comes first, at 114 credits, and many students continue from it to the BS. Some also choose to exit with the BSc.