Quick Verdict
On faculty and academics, IIT Madras comes out ahead, largely on the strength of its research output and its #1 ranking in the NIRF 2025 rankings (India's National Institutional Ranking Framework, the government's official system for ranking higher-education institutes). IIT BHU Varanasi — the Indian Institute of Technology at Banaras Hindu University, in the city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh — is a solid, well-regarded runner-up with genuinely warm student feedback on faculty accessibility and support, even if it doesn't match IIT Madras on scale or ranking.
Snapshot
| Metric | IIT Madras | IIT BHU Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1959 | 1919 (as Banaras Engineering College); became an IIT in 2012 |
| NIRF 2025 Overall Rank | 1 | 8 |
| NIRF 2025 Overall Score | 91.69 | Not published in the top-10 score table used here |
| Faculty count | 591 per IIT Madras's official site; 674 per Wikipedia | 381 per Wikipedia |
| Student body | 2,105 undergraduates, 4,112 postgraduates, 746 MS research scholars, 2,963 PhD scholars per IIT Madras (~10,238 total per Wikipedia) | 7,980 per Wikipedia |
| Annual budget | ₹996 crore (~$100 million) per Wikipedia | Not listed (marked N/a in the same table) |
| Student-reported Faculty & Course rating | Not available in sourced data | 4.1/5 per Shiksha |
Note: our two sources for faculty and student headcounts (IIT Madras's own site and Wikipedia) don't perfectly agree with each other — likely because they were pulled at different times — so both figures are shown rather than picking one arbitrarily.
Detailed Analysis
IIT Madras is officially ranked #1 among all 23 IITs in the NIRF 2025 rankings, a result its own leadership points to directly: the institute's director credits "the faculty members, students, and staff of IIT Madras for their continuing efforts every day in keeping this distinguished institute of national importance at the top of the ranking scales, year after year" (iitm.ac.in). By the numbers on its own site, IIT Madras counts 591 faculty supporting a research-heavy student body that includes 746 MS research scholars and 2,963 PhD scholars, plus 829 active projects and 146 patents (iitm.ac.in) — evidence of an academic culture weighted toward research output, not just undergraduate teaching.
IIT BHU Varanasi, formally the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University until it was designated an IIT in 2012 through an Act of Parliament (CollegeDekho), traces its roots back to 1919 as Banaras Engineering College — making its academic lineage considerably older than IIT Madras's, even though its IIT status is much newer. Student reviews on Careers360 are consistently positive about the teaching staff: one review notes "faculty members are highly qualified, many with international research exposure," and that "students are encouraged to engage in research early, often working under faculty guidance in advanced laboratories and research centers" (Careers360). Another reviewer adds that "the faculty is not only highly qualified but also friendly and helpful, making sure you really get the hang of your subjects while feeling supported along the way" (Careers360).
That said, the same review source flags a genuine weakness: "though students would benefit from more real-world projects, internship, and updated course content" (Careers360) — suggesting the academic experience, while supportive, may lag on curriculum modernization and industry-facing exposure compared with a research powerhouse like IIT Madras. On infrastructure supporting academics, IIT BHU reviewers say the institute "has most of the essential infrastructure and facilities needed for academics and campus life," including library, sports facilities, and Wi-Fi connectivity across academic and hostel areas (Careers360), though "some hostels are really old" (Careers360).
On sheer scale of research infrastructure, IIT Madras's disclosed numbers (146 patents, 829 active projects, a nearly-3,000-strong PhD scholar community) are simply not something we have a directly comparable figure for at IIT BHU in the sourced data — which itself is telling about the relative visibility and scale of research activity at the two institutes.
Verdict
IIT Madras wins on faculty and academics overall, driven by its #1 NIRF 2025 ranking, larger and more research-intensive faculty base, and substantial patent and project output. IIT BHU Varanasi is the credible runner-up, with genuinely well-regarded, accessible faculty and a century-plus academic heritage, but comparatively less evidence of research scale in the available data. A reader should still lean toward IIT BHU Varanasi if what matters most is a smaller-scale, personally supportive faculty relationship and a historic campus culture rather than chasing the single highest national ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which institute has the better NIRF ranking for 2025?
IIT Madras, ranked #1 overall; IIT BHU Varanasi is ranked #8 (source).
Q: Is IIT BHU Varanasi's faculty considered good by students?
Yes — Careers360 reviews repeatedly describe IIT BHU faculty as highly qualified, friendly, and supportive of research (source).
Q: How many faculty members does each institute have?
Sources disagree slightly: IIT Madras's own site lists 591 faculty, while Wikipedia's IIT comparison table lists 674 for IIT Madras and 381 for IIT BHU Varanasi (source, source).
Q: Which institute is older?
IIT BHU Varanasi's roots go back to 1919 as Banaras Engineering College, though it only became an IIT in 2012. IIT Madras was founded directly as an IIT in 1959 (source, source).
Q: Does IIT Madras have a stronger research output?
Based on available figures, yes — IIT Madras reports 146 patents and 829 active projects alongside a large PhD scholar base, figures we don't have a directly comparable equivalent for at IIT BHU Varanasi (source).
Q: What is IIT BHU Varanasi's weakest academic area, according to students?
Reviewers point to a need for more real-world projects, internships, and updated course content (source).
Q: Is there a student rating for IIT BHU Varanasi's faculty and courses?
Shiksha lists a Faculty & Course rating of 4.1 for IIT BHU Varanasi; no directly comparable figure was available for IIT Madras in our sourced data (source).
Related
For the complete picture beyond Faculty and Academics — placements, academics, campus life, and more — see the full IIT Madras vs IIT BHU Varanasi comparison.