Taking IIT Madras Campus Courses for IITM BS Credit

Once you finish the foundation and diploma levels with a CGPA of 8 or more, you can take regular campus courses for credit. These can be at IIT Madras or another participating institute, and the credits move into your IITM BS. You can earn at most 24 credits this way. You pay Rs 2,500 per BS credit to the programme, plus whatever the host institute charges. This rule has applied since January 2024.

Who can take campus courses

• You must have completed the foundation level and the diploma level. The handbook words it as "the foundation and the 2 diplomas".
• Your CGPA must be 8 or higher.
• You apply for the courses you want. You get in only if the course has seats.

The ES handbook uses the same "2 diplomas" wording, even though Electronic Systems has a single diploma level. Read it as finishing the ES diploma, and confirm with the support team if you are unsure.

Which institutes take part

Participating institutes offer seats each semester. The BS team collects the list of courses and tells students. The DS handbook gives IIT Madras, IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Palakkad, CMI, IIT Ropar and IIIT Hyderabad as examples. The ES handbook names only IIT Madras as an example.

How much credit you can earn

The 4 course limit per institute exists because you must travel to that campus and study in person.

Data Science: splitting the 24 credits

In DS the 8 credit cap applies at the BSc level. After you reach 114 credits and finish the BSc level with a CGPA of 8 or more, you can take 24 minus x credits at the BS level. Here x is the credits you already earned from IIT Madras campus courses at the BSc level. So if you used 8 credits at the BSc level, 16 remain for the BS level.

At the BS level, at most 8 credits can come from the HS (humanities) category. This count includes any HS credits you earned through NPTEL.

Electronic Systems: same text, one level

The ES handbook copies these lines but writes "BS level" where DS writes "BSc level". It sets the 8 credit cap at the BS level and then repeats the 114 credit and "24 minus x" rule. Electronic Systems has no BSc level, so these lines are hard to apply as written. Ask the support team how they work for ES before you plan around them.

Graded and non-graded credits

Both handbooks also carry a short line: up to 24 graded credits from IIT Madras campus courses, and up to 24 non-graded credits from apprenticeship, other institutes and NPTEL. The same line mentions 28 credits (16 of theory and 12 of apprenticeship) for the MS route. It reads like brief notes, so confirm how it fits with the 24 credit cap. The MS part is explained in upgrading to the on-campus MS.

Grades and your CGPA

• IIT Madras campus courses appear on your transcript with their grades, and they count towards your CGPA.
• Courses from other institutes are for credit only. They do not change your CGPA.

The ES handbook has a small mismatch here. One line limits CGPA to IIT Madras courses. The last line says credits from on-campus courses count towards CGPA without naming IIT Madras. The DS handbook says IIT Madras in both places.

Fees and attendance

• Transfer fee: Rs 2,500 per BS credit, paid to the BS programme.
• Course fee: set by the host institute under its own rules. The handbook does not give this amount.
• Classes are in person, unless the course offers a hybrid option.

A worked example: a course worth 12 IIT Madras campus credits would count as 4 BS credits. The transfer fee would be 4 times Rs 2,500, which is Rs 10,000, plus the institute's own fee.

Timing your campus courses

The handbooks advise taking credit transfer courses in the term before you want to finish a level. Results often come out after the next registration closes, which can delay the credit by two terms. The same advice appears in NPTEL credit transfer.

Common questions

Can I take a campus course while I am still in the diploma level?

No. You need the foundation and diploma levels done and a CGPA of 8 or more before you can earn campus credits.

Do I have to live near the campus?

You must attend in person unless the course has a hybrid mode. That is why you can take at most 4 courses from one institute. Plan your travel and stay before you apply.

Is a seat guaranteed if I meet the CGPA rule?

No. Meeting the rule only lets you apply. Acceptance depends on the seats available in each course.

Will a campus course from another institute raise my CGPA?

No. Only IIT Madras campus courses count towards CGPA. Courses from other institutes add credits only. For how CGPA is calculated, see the IITM BS grading system.