15 Students Opted For The Early Exit Option Introduced By IIT Bombay Last Year

Last year, when the early exit option was introduced at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, fifteen students chose to take advantage of it, according to statements from Professor Avinash Mahajan, the Dean of Academic Programmes at the institute, as reported by Indian Express.

Students who are unable to complete the four-year B.Tech course but wish to leave can now obtain an IIT degree of B.Sc. in Engineering.

This allows them to have a respectable exit rather than being labeled as drop-outs, even if they have completed three years of coursework.

Professor Mahajan revealed that this decision was made during a discussion in a meeting of the IIT Council. The aim was to provide an option for underperforming students to have an honorable exit, as opposed to simply dropping out as was the case in the past.

To qualify for the B.Sc. Engineering degree, students must complete approximately 60% of the total credits required for their chosen course, according to the policy.

In the event that a student completes the required credits for a specific course, the new degree they receive will also include a specialization.

According to Professor S Sudarshan, deputy director at IIT Bombay, if a student pursuing CSE completes approximately 160 credits and meets the minimum credit requirement for a single course, they can obtain a B.Sc. in CSE.

Furthermore, these students will be eligible to participate in the IIT Bombay placements.

During a press conference on the three years of the National Education Policy 2020, representatives from IIT Bombay, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan – Mumbai Region, and Ketan Patel Joint Director – Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship discussed the various steps taken by their institutions in line with the NEP 2020.

NEP 2020 recommends multiple entry and exit in higher education courses, but IIT Bombay has chosen to offer only one early-exit option.

According to Professor Mahajan, only 15 students at IIT Bombay had difficulty passing courses or had a desire to pursue something else.

However, the institute does not support the idea of allowing students to exit every year, he added. They believe that a minimum of three years is necessary for students to complete their courses.

Notably, as a result of a student's suicide in February, IIT Bombay had subsequently announced that branch-change services for four-year B.Tech. courses will be discontinued starting from the academic year 2023-24.

However, to compensate for this change and to provide students with the freedom to pursue their desired courses, the institute has decided to increase the number of minor courses available.

Professor Sudarshan stated that the English language course has now been integrated into the total course work, whereas previously it was excluded.

In the past, students who wished to take this course had to bear the additional burden of studying it alongside their regular coursework.