Nine IITs Abandon Branch Change Option, Easing Student Pressure: Check Out the IITs That Still Offer Stream Change
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In a major initiative to somewhat ease the academic pressure on students, nine IITs have now decided to abolish the provision that permitted the students admitted in the first year to change their core branches. This move comes in the wake of similar moves already taken by IIT Bombay in 2023, IIT Hyderabad in 2021, and IIT Jammu in 2018.
The key reason behind this is to eliminate the stress and pressure that students go through during their freshman year. In the past, once the first academic year used to get over, a student required a CGPA higher than 7.50 and more than 32 credits for becoming eligible to apply for a change of branch. The requirement very easily pushed one into excessive studying and reaching standards, which basically murdered the overall well-being of the students.
It is to ensure that students get more balanced college experiences. Taking away this pressure to meet high CGPA requirements just for the chance of a branch change will help IITs see students participate in extracurricular activities and engage with clubs and groups, all part of making their college life as full as possible.
Though nine IITs abolished the branch change option, there are still several IITs that continue to offer stream change. Students should be aware that quite a few IITs still offer branch change and check with the eligibility criteria of various institutes. Some of these IITs include IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, and others.
The decision of nine IITs to abolish the provision of branch change in the first year has been taken so as to reduce academic pressure on students and ensure that they have a more holistic college experience. Even if this change is going to snatch flexibility from some, one needs to consider how, in the long run, a balanced holistic education is going to help. Students should familiarise themselves with the rules and regulations governing the change at their respective IITs before taking any decisions regarding their academic journey.
In other words, what one has to remember is that education is for some transformative experiences, and hence these purposes have to be more focused on personal growth, learning rather than changing branches.
