Students at IIT Madras get rich and valuable exposure to a variety of academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular opportunities. Each student identifies their true passions and interests and pursues them. The various events and activities held by the institute not only seek to awaken dormant skills in the students but also to teach and allow them to practice organizational and leadership skills.

The Guindy National Park was used to carve out a large portion of the IIT Madras campus, which is now home to many animals that are uncommon to see in a busy city like Chennai. The Blackbuck, one of the most graceful antelopes in the world, is a pride of the campus. Numerous chital (spotted deer), bonnet macaques, monkeys, and other rare animals also reside on the campus.

IIT Madras Social Life

In addition to the rigorous academic requirements, the IIT Madras Social Life provides students with a wealth of chances to interact and form bonds with their cohort. IIT Madras is well-known for its annual student initiatives and hosts numerous events all year long. Several significant occasions include:

  • Shaastra: IIT Madras hosts Shaastra, an annual technical festival. True to its name, Shaastra—the Sanskrit word for science—is a celebration of free thought and a devotion to the engineering spirit.
  • Saarang: A significant milestone in the 60-year history of IIT Madras was the introduction of Mardi Gras, a groundbreaking student cultural extravaganza. Uriah Heep (during one of their infrequent world tours), Buddha's Babies, and even A R Rahman as a college student performed at Mardi Gras. The legacy still exists today, but it is now known as Saarang, almost 45 years later.
  • Department Fests: Some departments hold unique fests throughout the year in addition to the Institute fests. Here are a few well-known examples:
  • AMALGAM: Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
  • BHOUTICS: Physics Department
  • BIOFEST: Biotechnology Department
  • ELEC FEST: Electrical Engineering Department
  • CHEMCLAVE: Chemical Engineering Department 
  • CEA FEST: Civil Engineering Department
  • EXEBIT: Computer Science & Engineering Department 
  • FORAYS: Mathematics Department
  • HSS DEPARTMENT CONFERENCE: Humanities and Social Sciences Department
  • MECHANICA: Mechanical engineering Department
  • SAMANVAY: Department of Management Studies
  • WAVEZ: Department of Ocean Engineering

IIT Madras Sports

The Students' Activities Center offers first-rate amenities like an Olympic-standard swimming pool, a fully-stocked gym, the impressive IIT-Chemplast cricket ground, a sizable stadium, and a high-tech wood-floored multipurpose indoor stadium.

The campus of the Institute is home to excellent sporting facilities, which include:

  • K.S Narayanan Centre for Cricketing Excellence
  • An athletics stadium
  • Four tennis courts (synthetic-floored) and badminton courts (wood-floored)
  • An Olympic-standard swimming pool
  • Hockey & football fields with floodlights
  • Two basketball courts and two volleyball courts
  • A well-equipped gymnasium with professional instructors
  • Two world-class squash courts
  • Weightlifting Arena
  • Table tennis facility
  • A skating rink around Sangam ground

Every year in September, the Institute hosts the Sports Fest, an intercollegiate competition for regional colleges in badminton, tennis, volleyball, basketball, hockey, and weightlifting.

The GF&KR All India Invitational Basketball Tournament and the Jimmy George Tournament for Volleyball are two significant All India Inter Collegiate Tournaments for Boys and Girls that are held at IIT Madras. Another prestigious event that the Institute hosts is the Sanmar Tournament for Cricket, where the Institute's cricket team competes against other teams.

IIT Madras Other Facilities

  • The IIT Madras Campus has a convenience store where you can buy groceries, everyday items, and other necessities. A bakery and salon are also present.
  • State Bank of India and Canara Bank both operate regular branches at IIT Madras and offer services to the university's students, faculty, and staff, as well as ATM services.
  • Students at IIT Madras have access to department-based laboratories. They can go to the labs to get some hands-on training for better learning.
  • Students at IIT Madras have access to department-based laboratories. They can go to the labs to get some hands-on training for better learning.
  • Guest houses for invited guests, visiting faculty, etc., like the Bose-Einstein Guest House and Taramani Guest House. Additionally, students have access to guest rooms for visiting parents.
  • For events and seminars, IIT Madras has a facility with an auditorium. A large area or arena nearby the hostel has an open-air theatre where the film club shows movies every weekend.
  • Hostel guests have access to various restaurants with canteens throughout the year.
  • The Central Library at IIT Madras has wi-fi. It has a selection of student-oriented online databases, books, CD-ROMs, AV cassettes, reports, and other content. In the "Digitally Transformed Academic Library (Government) category," the Central Library won the Wiley Library Award 2019.
  • There are 15 boys' hostels at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras. There are single, double, and triple occupancy options for rooms. Postgraduate students can use the single rooms in each hostel that have internet and LAN access.


Check IIT Madras Admission Process