In December 2025, IIT Kanpur’s Class of 2000 made headlines by pledging a record Rs 100 crore to their alma mater. While such contributions are a source of pride, Prof Manindra Agrawal, the director of IIT Kanpur, views them through a lens of pragmatic realism. In a recent discussion with this newspaper, he explained why even these substantial gifts are just the beginning of what is required for an Indian institution to truly punch at a global level.
The 1:15 funding gap
When asked if Rs 100 crore contribution is sufficient for an IIT of this scale – established in 1959, more than 10,000 students, 1,500 faculty and staff, 44,000 alumni, and a residential campus spread over 1,055 acres – Prof Agrawal’s response was immediate: “Oh no, not at all.”
He pointed out that any top university in the world operates on an annual budget measured in billions of dollars. A couple of billion dollars is common for elite global institutions, whereas the budget of a major Indian IIT or the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is roughly one-fifteenth of that figure.
“While alumni contributions are ‘very welcome’ and assist in areas where government funding is unavailable, they are not yet enough to close the gap,” he said, adding that to reach the MIT level, there is still a significant distance to travel in terms of financial resources.
University rankings
According to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), IIT Kanpur has found itself in a perennial fourth position for the last several years, behind the IITs of Madras, Delhi, and Bombay. Prof Agrawal views rankings as a necessary evil, as they serve as an objective way to measure academics, which is inherently subjective and practically impossible to capture in a single number.
But he talked about systemic downsides. “The moment you associate importance to it, it starts getting gamed,” he said, noting that this ‘gaming’ is a global phenomenon, not just an Indian one. Institutions often focus their energies on improving their ranking numbers rather than necessarily improving the academics themselves.
“Despite these flaws, rankings provide policymakers with a necessary handle to understand university performance without reading hundreds of pages of reports,” he said.
Geography of ‘fourth’
Addressing IIT Kanpur’s specific rank, Prof Agrawal clarified that the distinction between IIT Kanpur and the three top IITs is marginal. The composite scores are often very close. He, however, acknowledged that geography plays a significant role in their challenges. Being located in a non-metro city impacts IIT Kanpur, particularly regarding faculty hiring.
“These days, the spouses are also professionals. They are looking for employment opportunities in the city,” he said. “Kanpur does not currently offer the same volume of professional opportunities found in metro cities such as Delhi or Mumbai, creating a hurdle the institute must actively work around.”
Optimism
Despite the challenges of funding and geography, Prof Agrawal remains ‘very optimistic’ about the future. He cited the rapid transformation and growth of Uttar Pradesh as a pivotal factor. As the state grows, IIT Kanpur has the opportunity to play a crucial role, and the city of Kanpur is expected to grow alongside it.
“In that process, IIT Kanpur has an opportunity to play a very crucial role,” he said. “The goal is to reduce the gap with metro cities and continue pushing for global excellence.” For Prof Agrawal, the next decade holds the promise of significant change for the state, the city, and the institute itself.