Why is IIT Gandhinagar behaving more like a private college and less like an IIT?

A senior of mine recently completed her M.Tech from IIT Gandhinagar. The following answer is based on her experience.

It has been heard a lot that IIT Gandhinagar is behaving more like a private college or a death brand IIT or a business enterprise. Some of the following points are looked at when such questions are asked:

• IIT Gandhinagar is one of the fastest-growing second-generation IITs started in 2008-09. The institute has recently completed 11 years.
• The institute aims to empower students with branch change policies which are the most liberal in nature, well-managed services provided by the library, groundbreaking research, innovations that are cutting edge, and attractive placement opportunities.
• Students are given choice and flexibility in case of choosing dual majors, minors, honors, course range, and short courses.
• IIT Gandhinagar is one of the most globalized campuses in India. It offers opportunities for studying abroad in the form of research internships, summer programs, semesters overseas, etc.
• The institute promotes maximum interactions between different disciplines with 7 Interdisciplinary Research Centres. The infrastructure in research is commonly shared and is not a monopoly.
• The institute promotes learning that is project-oriented which puts emphasis on learning by doing.
• Humanities cover 20% of the network and core requirements are in the sciences, design, and innovation in various fields.

The above points are some of the distinctive features which make the institute stand out. It continuously fights for the personal and multi-dimensional development of the students, staff, and faculty.

Playing the blame game is easy but it can be difficult to see the positives sometimes. In a decade, the institute has given a number of unique initiatives which are now being emulated by other institutes across India.