India's Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are a network of 23 government-run engineering and research universities. IIT Guwahati (in Assam, established under the Assam Accord in 1994) and IIT Indore (in Madhya Pradesh, one of the "second-generation" IITs set up between 2008–2009) are frequently compared by JEE aspirants deciding between an older, established IIT and a newer, faster-growing one — a comparison that matters a lot when the question is specifically about placements.
Quick Verdict
On placements specifically, IIT Guwahati comes out ahead. It has consistently outranked IIT Indore in NIRF's Engineering category every year from 2020 to 2025, and third-party placement comparisons put its reported package range noticeably higher. IIT Indore is still closing the gap as a newer institute, and its own admission data shows its JEE Advanced cutoff loosening more sharply than Guwahati's in 2026 — a sign it remains the less in-demand of the two, at least by admission competitiveness.
Snapshot
| Metric | IIT Guwahati | IIT Indore |
|---|---|---|
| Established (converted to IIT) | 1994 (Wikipedia) | 2009 (Wikipedia) |
| NIRF Engineering rank 2025 | 8 (Wikipedia) | 12 (Wikipedia) |
| NIRF Engineering rank 2022–2024 | 7, 7, 7 (Wikipedia) | 16, 14, 16 (Wikipedia) |
| NIRF Overall rank 2025 | 11 (Wikipedia) | 27 (Wikipedia) |
| JoSAA closing rank (open cat.), 2026 Round 2 | 10,732 (Careers360) | 13,934 (Careers360) |
| JoSAA closing rank, 2025 Round 2 | 9,243 (Careers360) | 10,576 (Careers360) |
| "Generation" classification | 1st Generation / Old IIT (Cracku) | 2nd Generation / New IIT (Cracku) |
| Reported package range (source: Cracku) | ₹16–18 LPA (Cracku) | ₹13–14 LPA (Cracku) |
We don't have sourced data for average/median/highest CTC figures beyond the Cracku range cited above, and no branch-wise placement breakdown was available in our research for either institute — treat the LPA figures as one third-party data point rather than an official placement report number.
Detailed Analysis
IIT Guwahati's edge shows up most clearly in NIRF's Engineering ranking, where "Graduation Outcomes" (which factors in placement and higher-studies outcomes) is one of the five scored parameters (Infinitylearn). Guwahati has held a rank between 7th and 8th every year from 2020 through 2025, while Indore has moved between 12th and 16th over the same stretch (Wikipedia) — a persistent, multi-year gap rather than a one-off fluctuation.
A broader industry comparison of "old" versus "new" IITs backs this up: it classifies IIT Guwahati among the 1st-generation IITs (alongside Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras, Kanpur, Delhi, and Roorkee) and IIT Indore among the 2nd-generation batch set up around 2008–2009 (Cracku). That same comparison states plainly that older IITs have "consistently higher median packages" while newer IITs are "improving since establishment" (Cracku) — and its own numbers put Guwahati's placement figure at roughly ₹16–18 LPA against Indore's roughly ₹13–14 LPA (Cracku).
IIT Indore is not standing still, though. A general note on newer IITs observes that "both have strong CSE placements and research output," even as it acknowledges that "placements are improving but not yet at par with older IITs" for institutes in Indore's cohort (Infinitylearn). On the admissions side, IIT Indore's JoSAA closing rank for open-category candidates jumped from 10,576 in 2025 to 13,934 in 2026 — a loosening of 3,358 ranks — while IIT Guwahati's moved from 9,243 to 10,732, a smaller shift of 1,489 (Careers360). A rising closing rank isn't a direct placement metric, but it is one signal of relative demand among JEE Advanced candidates, and it points the same direction as the other data here.
Verdict
Winner: IIT Guwahati, on the strength of its consistently higher NIRF Engineering ranking over the past several years and a reported package range that sits meaningfully above IIT Indore's in third-party comparisons. Runner-up: IIT Indore, which is a legitimate pick if you weight its rapid year-on-year institutional growth, a newer campus still expanding its research and recruiter base, or a specific branch/offer that only Indore extends to you — since placement outcomes at the individual-branch level can vary more than institute-wide averages suggest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does IIT Guwahati have better placements than IIT Indore overall?
Based on NIRF Engineering rankings and third-party package comparisons, yes — Guwahati has ranked consistently higher and reports a higher package range (Wikipedia, Cracku).
Q: What was the highest or average CTC at each institute this year?
We don't have a sourced official placement-report figure for either institute's average or highest package this year; the only package data available is Cracku's general range comparison (Cracku).
Q: Is IIT Indore's placement record improving?
General commentary on newer IITs (the group IIT Indore belongs to) notes placements are "improving" but not yet matching older IITs like Guwahati (Infinitylearn).
Q: Why is IIT Guwahati considered an "old" IIT if it was founded in 1994?
Industry classifications group it with the 1st-generation IITs (pre-2008) as opposed to the 2008–2009 "second-generation" batch that includes IIT Indore (Cracku).
Q: Does a rising JoSAA closing rank mean placements are getting worse?
Not directly — closing rank reflects admission demand, not placement outcomes, but IIT Indore's cutoff loosened more sharply (+3,358) than IIT Guwahati's (+1,489) between 2025 and 2026, one indirect signal worth noting (Careers360).
Q: Do both institutes have strong CSE placements?
General commentary states both have "strong CSE placements and research output," even though overall averages favor Guwahati (Infinitylearn).
Related
For the complete picture beyond Placements -- placements, academics, campus life, and more -- see the full IIT Guwahati vs IIT Indore comparison.