The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur will launch a dedicated undergraduate programme, Bachelor of Cybersecurity (B Cyber), from the current 2026-27 academic session starting in July, with admission on the basis of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) main screening, previous cybersecurity work and an on-campus hackathon instead of traditional JEE advanced scores, officials said on Thursday.
The course – a first for the IIT system – which will have 60 seats, aims to create a pool of quality cybersecurity experts for the country, officials said.
Students enrolled in the program will spend the first two years at IIT Kanpur undergoing “rigorous coursework” aimed at building a strong theoretical foundation in cybersecurity, along with laboratory training to gain practical experience in controlled environments. This will be followed by a two-year training phase in various government security organizations, where students will work on “real-world cybersecurity challenges,” the institute said in a statement.
IIT Kanpur Director Professor Manendra Agrawal said future conflicts will be fought in cyberspace as well as in the physical world. “Critical national infrastructure will require strong protection against cyber attacks. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a cadre of highly trained experts capable of protecting national digital systems. Keeping this goal in mind, IIT Kanpur is launching this program with a unique structure,” he said.
Explaining the rationale behind the new programme, Agrawal told HT that many young people are “very passionate” about cybersecurity and often get immersed in the field to such an extent that their performance in traditional academics suffers, despite being exceptionally talented.
“Unique UG program at @IITKanpur! Specially meant for young ethical hackers. Admission through hackathon. Specialized courses with 2 years training in security agencies. We aim to produce cyber warriors of the future,” Agrawal said in a post on X.
The institute plans to hold a hackathon in the first week of July to identify these talents. According to Agrawal, the idea behind the new course is to tap students who may not get JEE Advanced and “don’t get admission in good places despite being very talented”. He added: “Through this course, we aim to provide high-quality experts in the field of cybersecurity to the country.”
The program comes at a time when IIT Kanpur is increasingly tapping non-traditional talent in cybersecurity. Earlier this week, the institute appointed 19-year-old Nisarja Adhikari — who authored a blog post detailing vulnerabilities in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) portal — as an Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Threat Intelligence Architect at its technology innovation hub C3iHub.
The program will be offered by the institute’s Wadhwani School of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems.
“This program is designed to develop highly skilled professionals through a unique combination of strong academic foundation and real-world experience,” said Professor Nitin Saxena, Dean of the College.
The institute said that it is in the process of launching a web page dedicated to the program, and it is expected to be launched next week. The web page will contain detailed information regarding the program and application process.
