IIT Delhi says student well-being a ‘fundamental prerequisite’; lists welfare measures amid protests

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on Wednesday said student well-being remains a “fundamental prerequisite” for creating a campus environment where students feel heard and supported. The institute issued the statement today following the recent death of a student on campus.

In a statement, IIT Delhi outlined a series of measures it has implemented to support students, including academic flexibility, mentorship, mental healthcare, grievance redressal and initiatives aimed at improving diversity and inclusion.

The institute said its new curriculum, implemented in 2025, has reduced the credit load in the first semester and introduced life-skills courses. First-year departmental classes have also been capped at 30 to 60 students to reduce academic pressure.

The institute further added that the weekend examinations have been minimised and students continue to have flexibility in credit distribution. Read | Exam failure, isolation: Stories of 8 IIT Delhi students who died by suicide Another major change was the removal of the minimum CGPA requirement for the BTech degree from the 2024-25 academic session.

The student support system includes 24/7 access to counsellors and psychiatrists, including experts from AIIMS and VIMHANS. Moreover, the external mental healthcare is fully reimbursed by the institute, it said. The institute also has an emergency response protocol and Academic Unit Wellness Committees (AUWCs) to provide support at the academic-unit level.

Its UG Buddy Programme has been expanded to include PG and international students through the PG Buddy and International Buddy programmes, respectively, since 2025. The National Resource Centre for Value Education in Engineering (NRCVEE) at IIT Delhi has also incorporated yoga and meditation modules as part of its long-term wellness initiatives since 2001.

Further, the institute said faculty members interact with students through semester-wise get-togethers, office hours, project guidance, hostel activities and Class Committee feedback mechanisms under the Student-Teacher Interaction Council (STIC).

For students facing academic difficulties, the Academic Progress Group (APG) has been providing evening tutoring and credit-backlog support since 2023. Students can also raise complaints through multiple channels, including a centralised ERP portal that tracks grievances, the Board for Student Welfare, SC/ST and OBC cells, hostel wardens, the Internal Complaints Committee and confidential counselling channels.

IIT Delhi said its Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), established in 2022, works on non-discrimination and accessibility initiatives across the campus. The institute also conducts induction and sensitisation programmes for freshers through initiatives including the Initiative for Gender Equity and Sensitisation (IGES), Initiative for Caste Equity (ICE) and Office of Accessible Education (OAE).

These programmes address implicit and explicit biases related to caste, gender, language, region and ethnicity, the institute said.