IIT Madras Online BSc (Data Science) admission 2023 is open for the January session. The last date to fill the application form is January 15, 2023. Qualifier Phase Week 1 will start on January 20 and the exam will be held on January 26, 2023. Eligible candidates can apply online on the official portal – onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in. The institute has also opened its BSc in Programming and Data Science program to class 11, 12, and working executives (taking break from their career). This will provide school students an opportunity to secure a seat at IIT Madras while still in school. Candidates selected for admissions will attend 4 weeks of training, including video lectures, assignments, discussions and live interactions. There is no seat limitation for the program. Check IIT Madras Admission 2023
IIT Madras Online B.Sc Admission Dates 2023
Event |
Dates (January 2023) |
Application Form |
Open |
Application Form Closes |
January 15, 2023 |
Qualifier Phase Week 1 Starts |
January 20, 2023 |
Qualifier Exam |
January 26, 2023 |
Qualifier Results |
To be notified |
Registration Opens (only if cleared Qualifier Exam) |
To be notified |
Registration Closes |
To be notified |
Re-attempt Qualifier Exam (re-attempt fee applies) |
To be notified |
Re-attempt Qualifier Results |
To be notified |
Registration Opens (if cleared re-attempt) |
To be notified |
The institute has admitted a total of 8,154 students in the first batch of its first online B.Sc Degree and students who are willing to apply can easily apply at the college website. The applicants are required to pay the fees of INR 3,000. IIT Madras will conduct the course online while the examination will be conducted offline.
IIT Madras has begun its first-ever online degree in B.Sc. It is offered in 2 specializations namely Programming and Data Science.
- The course is stretched for six semesters.
- The minimum eligibility required is to have completed 10+2 with Mathematics and English as compulsory subjects.
- The admission is based on the qualifier examination.
IIT Madras Online BSc Eligibility Criteria
Applicants who have just completed their class 12th or equivalent after 2021 or earlier:
- The aspirants must have completed their class 12th or 10th for students passing after the year 2021, education with the mandatory subjects Mathematics and English.
- There is no additional eligibility required for applying for this course by the college after clearing the qualifier examination.
- Students who have completed their education in 2021, must be currently enrolled in any bachelor’s degree program, in campus mode.
- Have completed 1 year (campus mode only) diploma Or either have completed CA inter.
- Note that applicants who cleared class 12 or equivalent in 2020 or 2021 may apply for the qualifier process with eligibility criteria 1 & 2 alone, but will be required to fulfil criterion 3 to join the foundational courses after clearing the qualifying exam.
Check More: IIT Madras Cutoff
IIT Madras Online BSc Eligibility for Class 11, 12, and Working Executives
The eligibility criteria for the class 11, 12, and working professionals is given below:
- Students who are currently in Class XII (they can start the coursework once they finish the class)
- Working professionals
- College students
- Students or professionals who are taking a career break
IIT Madras Online BSc Admission Process
Selection to IIT Madras Online BSc program is done via Qualifier exam or JEE Advanced. Candidates who apply with JEE Advanced are directly admitted to the Foundation level. Candidates with no JEE Advanced scorecard are admitted through a qualifier exam conducted by the institute itself.
What is a qualifier exam?
Every regular entry candidate go through the Qualifier Process to get admission to the Foundation level of the program. Qualifier exam is an entrance exam for students who apply without JEE Advanced scores. The examination consists of the 4 week course work based on the content covered in 4 weeks of study.
Qualifier Preparation: Candidates preparing for the Qualifier exam are required to go through the 4 week of coursework based on lecture videos, assignments, and live sessions of the four foundational courses. These courses include English I, Mathematics for Data Science I, Statistics for Data Science I, and Computational Thinking. Also, each candidate is required to submit an assignment at the end of every week as per the grading system.
Eligibility for Qualifier Exam: Candidates performing good in any 3 assignment out of 4 are chosen for the Qualifer exam. The average assignment scores required to appear for the Qualifier exam are given in the table below:
Category |
Minimum Average Assignment Score required in each course |
General learner |
40% |
SC/ST/PWD with 40% disability |
30% |
PwD with 40% disability & SC/ST |
30% |
OBC-NCL/ EWS |
35% |
Once the candidate has appeared for the Qualifier exam, the minimum marks required to qualify the exam is as follows:
Category |
Minimum score in each course |
Minimum score in Qualifier exam |
General |
40% |
50% |
SC/ST/PWD with 40% disability |
30% |
40% |
PwD with 40% disability & SC/ST |
30% |
40% |
OBC-NCL/ EWS |
35% |
45% |
What is the validity of the qualifier exam?
The validity of the Qualifier exam scorecard is 3 terms (1 year) for candidates who have cleared Class 12 exams. For candidates who are yet to appear for the Class 12 exams, the validity of the scorecard is 6 terms (2 years).
Re-attempt: In case a candidate is not able to clear the Qualifier exam, he/she can appear for a re-attempt. The candidate is required to pay an application fee of INR 1500 to appear for the first re-attempt. Candidates who fail to qualify the re-attempt exam can again appear for the Qualifier exam. This time the application fee will be INR 3000.
IIT Madras Online BSc Fees
IIT Madras charges INR 4000 for every course at the Foundational Level. Skill Enhancement courses in Diploma/ Degree Level is INR 5000 per course. All other courses in Diploma/ Degree Level is INR 10,000 per course. The table below represents an estimate of the total fee to be paid at each level of the course:
Level |
Total fee |
Breakdown |
Foundation Level |
INR 32,000 |
INR 4,000 for each course
Total courses: 8 |
Diploma Level |
INR 1,10,000 |
INR 5000 for each Skill Enhancement course
INR 10,000 for all other courses
Total courses: 12 |
Degree Level |
INR 1,00,000 |
INR 5000 for each Skill Enhancement course
INR 10,000 for all other courses
Total courses: 11 |
Read More: IIT Madras Courses & Fees
IIT Madras Online BSc Course Structure
There are three levels in the Online Degree program- Foundational, Diploma, and Degree. Candidates completing all three levels get BSc Degree in Programming and Data Science from IIT Madras. The program also gives early exit options to students after the completion of each level. Candidates leaving the course after first level will receive a Foundational Certificate from CCE, IIT Madras. Candidates leaving the program after second level will receive Diploma in Programming or Diploma in Data Science from IIT Madras. Candidates completing all three levels receive BSc Degree in Programming & Data Science from IIT Madras.

IIT Madras Online B.Sc Course Details
Every year is divided into three terms (4 months each)- January, May, and September. Each term has 12 weeks of course work, 3 in-person invigilated Quizzes and End Term Exams. Course Details: Each student is required to complete minimum of 40 credits at the degree level. These credits are divided as per various courses learned at different levels. Check the below given credit structure for the IIT Madras Online BSc program:
- 4 credits from mandatory course titled "Strategies for Professional Growth"
- 8 credits from 2 Core Courses of 4 credits each. There are 3 pairs of core course options to pick from.
- 24 credits from Elective Courses - 6 courses of 4 credits each or more courses of lesser credits.
- 4 to 8 credits from Free Electives. These are to be completed on NPTEL and the credits transfered to this degree program.
The table below represents Core and Elective Courses:
Core Courses |
Elective Courses |
Core Course Option 1: Operations Systems, Computer Architecture
Core Course Option 2: Software Testing, Software Engineering
Core Course Option 3: AI: Search Methods for Problem Solving, Deep Learning |
Operation Systems
Computer Architecture
Software Testing
Software Engineering AI: Search Methods for Problem Solving
Deep Learning
Design Thinking
Speed Technology
Deep Learning in Practice
Thematic Ideas in Data Science
Special Topics in Machine Learning
Computer Vision |
IIT Madras Online B.Sc FAQs
Que. How long does it take to complete the IIT Madras Online B.Sc degree?
Ans. The online B.Sc degree from IIT Madras is stretched over 3-6 years. there is an average estimate provided by the college that the learner will be able to complete the degree in about 4 to 5 years. This is a full degree and the students can obtain a degree faster in around 8 months- 2 years.
Ques. What are the technological requirements for the IIT Madras Online B.Sc program?
Ans. Access to a good internet connection as well as a laptop/ desktop device will be a key requirement to learn effectively from our courses. Familiarity with Google tools would be an advantage.
Ques. What is the overall structure of the IIT Madras Online B.Sc program?
Ans. The program is split into three levels that have to be done strictly in sequence:
1: Foundational Level (8 courses)
2: Diploma Level (6 Programming courses + 6 Data Science courses)
3: Degree Level (11 courses)
Ques. What is the attendance policy of the IIT Madras Online B.Sc course?
Ans. There is no such strict attendance policy of the program. But the course learning timely submission of the assignments and exams has to be very strictly adhered to. Timely submission of the assignments and the candidate’s score will determine whether he or she will be able to sit for the offline examination or not.
Ques. When will the first batch start for the IIT Madras online B.Sc?
Ans. After completing the qualifier phase, Term 1 of the first batch starts on January 4, 2021.
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