Quick Verdict
IIT Delhi has the tougher branch cutoffs overall. Its 2026 JoSAA Round 2 closing rank (12,244) is meaningfully lower — meaning more competitive — than IIT Kharagpur's (13,588) (source), and IIT Delhi is consistently grouped with IIT Bombay and IIT Madras as one of the three hardest IITs to get into for high-demand branches like Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) (source). IIT Kharagpur's cutoffs are still demanding by national standards, but sit a notch behind Delhi's across the board.
Snapshot
| Metric | IIT Delhi | IIT Kharagpur |
|---|---|---|
| JoSAA Round 2 closing rank, 2025 (overall, open category) | 10,036 | 12,758 (source) |
| JoSAA Round 2 closing rank, 2026 (overall, open category) | 12,244 | 13,588 (source) |
| Year-on-year change in closing rank | +2,208 (became less competitive; ranked 2nd-highest increase among all IITs) (source) | +830 (computed from the figures above) |
| CSE 2026 opening–closing rank (open category) | 35–123 (source) | Not available in sourced data |
| Least-competitive branch, Round 2 2026 (open category) | Design — closing rank 12,244 | Applied Geology, 4-year BSc — closing rank 13,588 (source) |
| NIRF Engineering rank, 2023 | 2nd | 6th (source) |
| NIRF Overall rank, 2025 | 2nd | 5th (per one table) or 6th (per another) — sources disagree (source, source) |
Detailed Analysis
Across the most recent JoSAA data available, IIT Delhi's overall closing rank sits notably lower (more competitive) than IIT Kharagpur's in both 2025 and 2026. In Round 2 of 2025, Delhi's overall open-category closing rank was 10,036 versus Kharagpur's 12,758; by 2026, both had loosened somewhat, moving to 12,244 and 13,588 respectively (source). Interestingly, IIT Delhi's cutoff eased by a much larger margin — a jump of 2,208 ranks, the second-largest increase of any IIT that year, explicitly flagged in reporting on IITs that "became less competitive" in 2026 (source). Kharagpur's shift was smaller by comparison (830 ranks, computed from the same data) and didn't make the list of the ten IITs with the biggest year-on-year increases.
For the flagship CSE branch specifically, IIT Delhi's 2026 opening and closing ranks were 35 and 123 respectively — reflecting fierce competition for the seat (source). More broadly, sourced analysis groups IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IIT Madras together as the three most competitive IITs for CSE, with general-category closing ranks reported below 200 in 2024 (source). IIT Kharagpur is mentioned in the same research as one of the "leading IITs" where CSE cutoffs are highly competitive, alongside Bombay, Delhi, Madras, and Kanpur (source), but no specific 2024 CSE closing rank for Kharagpur was found in the available research, so no direct numeric comparison can be made for that branch.
At the other end of the spectrum, each institute's least selective branch tells a similar story: IIT Delhi's easiest entry point in 2026 (Design, closing at rank 12,244) is still a lower — i.e., more competitive — closing rank than IIT Kharagpur's easiest entry point (Applied Geology, a 4-year BSc program closing at rank 13,588) (source). This suggests Delhi's cutoff advantage isn't limited to its top branches — it holds even at the bottom of each institute's offering list.
One separate data point worth flagging: GATE-based cutoffs (used for postgraduate/M.Tech admission, not JEE Advanced) are also reported to be consistently highest at IIT Bombay, Delhi, and Madras, especially for CSE, AI, and VLSI specializations (source) — but this source does not mention Kharagpur specifically, so it cannot be used to compare the two institutes directly on GATE cutoffs.
Verdict
IIT Delhi wins on branch cutoffs — its ranks are consistently more competitive than IIT Kharagpur's, from the overall JoSAA closing rank down to the least selective branch on offer, and it sits in the same "hardest to get into" tier as IIT Bombay and IIT Madras for branches like CSE. IIT Kharagpur is the runner-up, with meaningfully softer (higher) closing ranks across the board in 2025 and 2026 data. The one condition under which a reader should pick IIT Kharagpur anyway on cutoff grounds: if their JEE Advanced rank falls between IIT Delhi's and IIT Kharagpur's closing ranks for a specific branch they want (for example, in the roughly 12,000–13,600 range seen in the 2026 data), Kharagpur may be the only one of the two still within reach for that branch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which is harder to get into on branch cutoffs, IIT Delhi or IIT Kharagpur?
A: IIT Delhi — its overall JoSAA closing ranks were lower (more competitive) than Kharagpur's in both 2025 and 2026 (source).
Q: What was IIT Delhi's CSE cutoff in 2026?
A: The opening rank was 35 and the closing rank was 123 (open category, Round 2) (source).
Q: Is IIT Kharagpur's CSE cutoff available for direct comparison?
A: No specific 2026 CSE opening/closing rank for IIT Kharagpur was found in the available research, so no direct numeric comparison to Delhi's CSE cutoff can be made.
Q: Did cutoffs get easier or harder between 2025 and 2026 at these two institutes?
A: Both eased (closing ranks rose), but Delhi's eased by a much larger margin — 2,208 ranks versus Kharagpur's roughly 830 (source).
Q: What is the least competitive branch at each institute?
A: At IIT Delhi it's Design (2026 closing rank 12,244); at IIT Kharagpur it's Applied Geology, a 4-year BSc program (2026 closing rank 13,588) (source).
Q: Are IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur both considered top-tier for CSE?
A: Yes — both are named among the "leading IITs" for CSE competitiveness, alongside IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, and IIT Kanpur, though only Bombay, Delhi, and Madras are specifically noted for sub-200 general-category closing ranks in 2024 (source).
Q: Do NIRF rankings match the cutoff gap between the two?
A: Broadly yes — IIT Delhi ranks 2nd nationally in NIRF Engineering (2023) versus Kharagpur's 6th, consistent with Delhi's tighter cutoffs, though sources differ on Kharagpur's exact 2025 NIRF position (5th vs 6th) (source, source, source).
Related
For the complete picture beyond Branch Cutoffs — placements, academics, campus life, and more — see the full IIT Delhi vs IIT Kharagpur comparison.