Engineering Admission in India for Foreign Students

The main routes available to you

Foreign nationals, OCI/PIO and NRI students who want to study engineering in India do not normally use the domestic JEE/JoSAA counselling route reserved for Indian-citizen applicants. Instead, there are a few parallel routes, and which one fits depends on your category and the type of institute you are targeting.

• DASA — for several Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (NITs, IIITs and others)
• Institute-specific international channels at some IITs and other institutes
• Private and deemed-to-be universities' own foreign/NRI admission processes

DASA for centrally funded institutes

The most widely used government route into NITs, IIITs and other CFTIs for overseas and NRI applicants is the DASA (Direct Admission of Students Abroad) scheme. DASA runs as a centralised channel with its own eligibility, qualifying-score basis, seat matrix and fee structure, all set annually.

We do not reproduce DASA's cutoffs, seat counts or fees here because they change each cycle. See the dedicated DASA guide and verify the current criteria on the official DASA portal.

IITs and other institutes

Some Indian Institutes of Technology and other institutes operate their own admission channels for foreign-national and OCI applicants, separate from the standard JEE Advanced route used by Indian citizens. The eligibility, qualifying requirements and intake for these channels are decided by each institute.

Because these arrangements vary and are updated periodically, check the international-admissions or foreign-students page of the specific institute you are interested in, and verify the current process on its official website.

Private and deemed universities

Many private and deemed-to-be universities admit foreign and NRI engineering students through their own international or NRI-quota processes, often with supernumerary seats and a separate fee structure. Eligibility, the selection basis and fees are set by each university.

We do not quote fees or seat numbers here. Confirm the current eligibility, intake and fees on each university's official admissions page before applying.

Apply officially and avoid guarantees

Whichever route you use, apply through the official channel — the DASA portal, the institute's international-admissions office, or the university's own application system. No agent can guarantee an engineering seat in India; admission depends on official eligibility and the published process. Be cautious of guaranteed-seat offers and verify everything on the official website.