A five-year BTech structure that allows students to graduate earlier if they meet the required credits could ease the pressure created by widely different academic backgrounds in the classrooms, former IIT Delhi director V Ramgopal Rao has suggested. The idea is to give students the time and support they need to reach the required academic standard, rather than expecting everyone to learn at the same pace.The proposal comes amid protests in IIT Bombay, following a BTech student’s death, with students raising concerns about academic pressure and welfare. The circumstances of the death, including allegations of caste discrimination raised by the family, are under investigation. Rao’s proposal, however, is aimed at whether the IIT academic system is built for increasingly heterogeneous classrooms.Rao spent over 25 years on the faculty at IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi, then served six years as IIT Delhi director from 2016 before joining BITS Pilani in 2023 as Group Vice-Chancellor.Why Rao says a ‘one-size-fits-all system’ creates pressureRao points to the growing gap between students admitted through intensive coaching. In CSE classrooms at IIT Delhi, he notes, JEE Advanced ranks among students can range from single digits to five digits, with language differences adding another layer.“With such heterogeneity, can we expect every student to learn at the same pace?” he writes on his social media handle, stressing this isn’t an argument against admitting students from diverse backgrounds, but about whether teaching has kept pace with that diversity. A faculty member can’t teach one class at multiple levels at once; some slow down and some lose interest; when sped up, others might fall behind.Rao also separates entrance performance from independent learning ability. Even top JEE Advanced rankers, he says, can struggle with unfamiliar problems. “Coaching had prepared them to solve familiar types of questions quickly. Many are lost when they see a question which they haven’t solved before,” he adds.What is Rao’s five-year BTech proposal?Rao suggests IITs redesign BTech as a five-year programme by default, while keeping the option to finish sooner:–Students meeting required credits could finish in four yearsStory continues below this ad–Some could finish in three-and-a-half, depending on performance and completion of credit requirements–Others could spread coursework over five years, with added support — recorded lectures, online material, language help–Pace would depend on a student’s in-IIT performance, not admission category or entrance rankThe psychological logic he highlights is that, rather than treating a fifth year as falling behind, it can become part of the programme’s design itself: “Calling it a five-year programme for everyone has a psychological advantage.”Story continues below this ad“Students who need more time would simply be following the programme as designed, while those who are ready could complete it sooner,” he explains.How this differs from NEP’s multiple-entry, multiple-exit modelNEP 2020 already allows three-or four-year undergraduate programmes with multiple entry and exit points: a certificate after one year, diploma after two, degree after three — with credits transferable via the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC).Rao’s proposal isn’t about exiting early; it’s about flexible duration within the same BTech cohort.What IITs are already doingIIT Bombay already offers a three-year exit route: a BSc (Engineering) degree after 160 credits and six semesters, confirmed in its 2022-23 annual report and a 2025 RTI response (no certificate or diploma is awarded for one or two years completed). That’s a separate mechanism from Rao’s, an exit ramp, not more time within the programme.Story continues below this adIIT Delhi introduced its own multiple entry-exit provisions in 2023, including diploma exits and the ability to switch disciplines after year one or move between UG and PG programmes.IIT Madras has gone furthest, particularly through its online BS programmes in Data Science and Electronic Systems, which let learners exit at a Foundation Certificate, Diploma, BSc or BS stage depending on credits earned.IIT Kanpur, meanwhile, has said it hasn’t yet introduced multiple-exit options for regular undergraduates, though it offers double majors, minors and pathways into master’s programmes.However, despite the said steps from IITs, Rao’s proposal shifts the conversation from how students get into IITs to how they’re supported once inside. His argument is that a common entrance exam doesn’t produce a homogeneous student body. Ultimately, backgrounds, languages, coaching, and learning styles vary widely, and even top scorers can struggle with the shift to independent learning. He says the key fix is not about lowering academic standards, but rather to give students the time and support to meet them at their own pace.