What is Perception?

Perception, shortened to PR, is a parameter that gauges the overall perception of the institute by the industry, academic peers and the research community. Although there are sub-parameters to determine perception scores out of 100, it is very seldom expressed in terms of these sub-parameters. The 4 sub-parameters contributing to perception carry 25 marks each, and they are as follows -

• Peer Perception: Employers and Research Investors (PREMP)

• Peer Perception: Academic Peers (PRACD)

• Public Perception (PRPUB)

• Competitiveness (PRCMP)

Peer perceptions are analyzed using data and responses from qualitative surveys from the industry, organizations, official funding agencies, private sector employers, and firms. Surveys are conducted among large pools of academics. The data from these surveys is updated periodically.

Public perception of the institute is based on surveys among the general public and the parent community. It is a reflection of the level of trust the public has in the academic prowess of the institute, and the parent’s perceptions of the facilities, resources and trust vested in the institute regarding the goodwill of students. The student strength and admission figures assess the competitiveness, especially in PG and doctoral programs.

IIT Madras has a dedicated Office of Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research (ICSR), resulting in fruitful industrial collaborations, professional opportunities, and more. IIT Madras has to its credit over 785 sponsored projects, almost 90 funding agencies, and 875 consulting projects with 572 client organizations. Research collaborations too are plenty in number, and academic peer perception of IIT Madras has relatively been more impressive than other IITs. The public perceptions of the institute are more often shaped by non-academic factors over academic ones— like student life, student achievements, IIT-M in the news, unfortunate events, etc. However, in light of recent unfortunate incidents, IIT Madras has attempted to bolster its student wellness and mental health programs, with the active contribution of teams like Saathi and Mitr which is expected to create lasting positive public perceptions. Competitiveness is perceived to be healthy in some ways, although it has also been cited as a reason for incidents, creating negative media and public perceptions.

IIT Madras ranks Number 1 with a perfect score of 100 in perception among all IITs. You can check the scores here.