IIT Madras offers online diploma and certification courses in the field of Data science and programming. The course duration for 8 months (foundational courses), 1 year (diploma) and 3-6 years (UG courses). The courses are offered for both Indian and international students. IIT Madras offers 14 certification courses, 2 diploma courses and 3 UG courses in the online mode. The course admissions are made through 3 terms every year: January, May and September. For each term, there are weekly, monthly and final assessment exams. The candidates will need to pass the qualifier exam for admission to the online course.

IIT Madras Online Courses Highlights

  • Data science is the most popular branch of IIT Madras online courses.
  • IIT Madras offers only 2 diploma courses and 3 UG courses.
  • The admissions for IIT Madras online courses are done through the qualifier exams.
  • The qualifier exam is based on the 4 weeks of coursework (including English, Mathematics, statistics and Computational thinking).
  • One must score at least 40-50% marks in each subject for passing the qualifier.
  • The course fee for the B.Sc Programming and Data Science is INR 1,00000.

IIT Madras Online Courses Important Dates

The admissions to the online courses at IIT Madras are made in three terms throughout the year (January, May and September). Following are the key dates for the Diploma courses (data science and programming) admissions at IIT Madras for the May term 2024

Event Date
Online Diploma Courses
Application Form Closing 26th May, 2024
Qualifier Phase Week 1 Starting 31st May, 2024
Qualifier Exam 7th July, 2024
Qualifier Result 12th July, 2024
Registration Opens (only if cleared Qualifier Exam) 17th July, 2024
Registration Closes 18th July, 2024
Re-attempt Qualifier Open 17th July, 2024
Re-attempt Qualifier Closes 18th July, 2024
Re-attempt Qualifier Exam (re-attempt fee applies) 4th August, 2024
Re-attempt Qualifier Results 14th August, 2024
Registration Opens (if cleared re-attempts) 4th September, 2024

IIT Madras Online Courses

IIT Madras offers online certifications, diplomas and UG courses in domains like AI, machine learning, data science, programming language etc. Following are the key online courses offered by IIT Madras

UG Courses Diploma Courses Certification Courses
  • Data Science And Advanced Programming
  • Python Certification
  • Pg Certificate - Applied Data Science And Machine Intelligence
  • Python For Data Science
  • Online Foundational Certification - Programming And Data Science
  • Advanced Certification - Data Science And Ai
  • Foundation Level In Programming And Data Science
  • Electric Vehicles And Renewable Energy
  • Pattern Recognition And Machine Learning
  • Advanced Certification - Software Engineering (Cloud Blockchain And IoT)
  • Modern Application Development
  • Medical Image Analysis
  • Intellectual Property
  • Machine Learning And Cloud

IIT Madras Online Courses Eligibility and Selection Criteria

  • One must have completed at least a two-year bachelor’s degree.
  • The candidates must have passed the qualifier test organized by the institution.
  • Only the ones who have qualified will be allowed to join the courses.
  • There are 3 terms every year each for four months ( January, May and September).
  • One must score the minimum marks in each subject: 40% (general), 30% (ST/SC/PWD) and 35% (OBC).

IIT Madras Online Courses Cutoff

The Candidates must pass the qualifier with minimum cut-off marks, only then one would be eligible to enrol in the online program. Following are the category-wise qualifying marks for the same

Category Minimum Qualifying Marks (total)
ST/SC/PWD 40%
OBC-NCL / EWS 45%
General 50%

IIT Madras Online Courses Fees

The course fee differs for the online diploma, certificate and UG courses, following is the description of the same

Course Course Fee
Diploma in Programming INR 70,500
Diploma in Data Science INR 70,500
B.Sc programming and data science INR 1,00000
Certification Courses INR 32,000

How to apply - IIT Madras online courses

  • The applications can be registered through the online portal @study.iitm.ac.in/ds/academics.html
  • One will fill in the personal and academic details as required and pay the application fee.
  • The candidates must also fill in the choice of exam centre (this could not be changed later).
  • Thereafter, one needs to pass the qualifier exam separately in each subject.
  • The ones who are enrolled in the course will be offered online access to the recorded lectures and study materials.

Required Documents for IIT Madras online course application

  • Caste certificate
  • Signature
  • Passport size photographs
  • PWD certificate (if applicable)

IIT Madras Online Course Application Fees

The candidates are required to pay the application fee at the time of registration, which differs for different categories, following are the details for the same

Category Application fee
ST/SC/PWD INR 3000
ST/SC (PWD) INR 1500
General INR 6000

IIT Madras Online Courses FAQs

Ques. Is the online course better than the offline one at IIT Madras?

Ans. The offline courses at IIT Madras seem to have a good reputation in terms of exposure, on-site learning and personal interactions. However, offline courses are a great option for distance learners, working professionals and part-time learners. One can learn at their own pace and time besides the regular activities, hence, both have their pros and cons.

Ques. Can I take a direct admission in the online diploma course at IIT Madras?

Ans. No, one must pass the qualifier exam to be eligible for course enrolment whereas one must also have passed 10+2 for online courses at IIT Madras.

Ques. When are the admissions for the online exams conducted at IIT Madras?

Ans. IIT Madras opens the applications for the online diploma, certificate and UG courses thrice a year. There are three terms for the online courses: January term, May term and September term.

Ques. Are there any good career options after online diploma courses from IIT Madras?

Ans. The online degrees at IIT Madras are a great way to enhance one’s field domain knowledge. However, this does not guarantee a job placement as they might not provide the same experience as a regular campus course.

Ques. Is the IIT Madras online degree valid?

Ans. Yes, IIT Madras online degrees are completely valid as the IIT title helps one prove one’s credibility. Although the recruiters do not solely rely on these certifications for hiring rather one’s skill level and overall development also matter.