IIIT-H is a university that provides the quintessential college life. The curriculum not only provides the core technical courses required for career oriented endeavors but also focuses on molding the student as a whole by providing life-skills as part of their non technical courses. IIIT-H is known for its ground breaking research, needless to say, a strong emphasis is laid on research oriented knowledge building. The research oriented approach helps solve real-life problems and allows students to work on cutting edge technology to derive the solutions. As the director, Dr. P.J. Narayanan likes to say, “IIIT-H prepares not for your first job, but for your last job.”
The college is efficiently organized into research centers and labs to facilitate inter-disciplinary research and brilliant network for exchange of knowledge and ideas. Here, the curriculum allows flexibility for the student in selecting courses and projects.
The institute's unique Human Values program at the undergraduate level has already gained attention at national and international levels. The perfect blend of core, science and humanities courses is the recipe for a highly balanced program. The institute offers its students a unique environment that promotes cultural, sports and societal contributions, art, self-governance and human values along with striving for academic excellence.
AcademicsAt IIIT-H, the academic model allows for greater freedom and flexibility in terms of what you wish to study. You are given the opportunity to select electives starting from your 5th semester, and you decide the course of your education from there on. A wide range of courses across various disciplines are offered, allowing students to explore their interests and tailor their academic journey accordingly
FelicityFelicity is the annual techno-cultural fest organized by IIIT-H. A three-day long spectacle, it involves a large range of exciting activities, competitions, talks, workshops and stunning performances by bands from all over the country. It begins with the Inaugurals, performed by our very own students who put in months of effort to make the show a success. The campus buzzes with excitement as the Kalakshetra team puts a one up on the glamour with beautiful paintings, sculptures and creatives pieces of art. From then on, there is something for everyone!
The different online and offline events organized by students create a wonderful 3-day bonanza. One of the happiest moments in college would be organizing or coordinating a successful event for Felicity. Coupled with inspiring talks and stellar band performances, Felicity makes for a truly indelible experience for organizers, participants and audience alike!
Here at IIIT-H, we have 4 hostels Palash Nivas (OBH), Kadamba Nivas (NBH), Bakul Nivas and Parijaat Nivas (GH). The rooms are quite spacious. The hostels also have facilities like washing machines on each floor. A TV is installed on the ground floor of OBH for students to use at any time - specially during cricket season!
NBH has a general store which sell everyday things required by students. Other than this, there are also facilities like gyms and indoor sports facilities like TT, Chess and Carrom, inside or near the hostels. We at IIIT-H believe in the responsible nature of students, and to facilitate working in the labs, there is no restriction on movement inside campus for anyone at anytime.
Mess and Canteens
IIIT-H offers a unique and flexible dining system with four different messes, each located on a specific floor and serving a particular type of cuisine. Students can choose where they wish to eat for each meal of the day. The OBH First Floor houses a mess that serves North Indian cuisine, while the OBH Ground Floor mess offers South Indian meals. Yuktahaar, provides healthy, oil-free food options, and the NBH (New Boys Hostel) mess serves a mix of both North and South Indian dishes. Additionally, a Non-Vegetarian Mess operates five days a week for students who prefer non-veg meals. To manage this system efficiently, students are expected to register their meal preferences on the mess portal at least four days in advance, after reviewing the menus of the respective messes.
North Mess
South Mess
Yuktahaar Mess
The messes at IIIT-H are committed to maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene to ensure student well-being. Each mess follows a rigorous cleaning schedule, including daily disinfection of dining and kitchen areas and weekly deep cleaning of all facilities. Staff are required to adhere to strict personal hygiene protocols, wearing clean uniforms, hairnets, and gloves, with regular health check-ups to ensure fitness for duty. Fresh, high-quality ingredients are sourced, and proper storage facilities are maintained. Regular pest control and effective waste management practices, including segregation and recycling, are in place. Periodic inspections ensure compliance with these standards, providing students with a safe and hygienic dining environment.
Mess TimingsBreakfast: 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Lunch: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Snacks: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Dinner: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Alongside this, the campus has multiple canteens at different locations around campus, each popular for their own specialities. For example, you would soon find yourself very familiar with the famous Juice canteen which is one of the most popular spots for hanging out with friends! Or you could chill out with a sandwich and tea near the basketball court canteen!
Vindhya Canteen (VC)Conveniently situated around classrooms, the library, workspaces, and labs, VC attracts professors and students alike. Known for its tea, coffee, puffs, omelettes, and sandwiches, it also offers secret menu items like pav bhaji and papdi chaat. Although the food quality is excellent, some students find the pricing a bit high. The beautiful sitting area, especially lively during rains, makes it a popular spot for events.
Basketball Canteen (BBC)Located near the hostels, BBC is a favorite for breakfasts and quick snacks. Known for its dosa and Maggi, the variety of combinations available keeps the menu interesting. The seating arrangement is ideal for relaxing with friends, and its proximity to the amphitheatre means it stays open late during events.
Juice Canteen (JC)Best known for its oreo shake, JC also offers seasonal favorites like the avocado honey shake and the timeless watermelon with extra ice. Nimbu soda is another iconic item on their menu.
Devid's BakeryOpen from 4 PM to 4 AM, Devid's Bakery is the most reasonably timed canteen on campus. Despite being slightly overpriced, their ice cream brownie is worth trying. It's the only place open past 2 AM.
TantraIdeal for those who miss regular meals, Tantra offers meal-sized portions. Its menu, though with some amusing typos like "chicken moms," provides substantial meals to satisfy hunger.
Ministry of CheeseA small stall near VC known for cheesy fries, nuggets, and quick bites—perfect for snack lovers.
Tea & Coffee StallLocated beside Tantra, ideal for a quick cup of chai or coffee after meals or during late-night study sessions.
Sri Akshaya Food CourtLocated opposite VC, offers Indian snacks like pav bhaji, pani puri, idli and vada pav.
BBInstantApart from the canteens BBInstant provides with crisps, soda and fizzy drinks, biscuits and packed deserts right in the hostel premises for the students 24x7
The campus is spread over a sprawling area of 66 acres. There are four buildings that house the corporate schools and research centers. In addition to this, the academic building has lecture halls, tutorial rooms, computer and electronics labs and offices for the administration and faculty. The buildings are named after the mountain ranges - Nilgiri, Vindhya and Himalaya.
The Amphitheatre, Juice canteen and the Felicity Ground are common spots around the college for students to enjoy the open air. We believe in keeping our campus clean, green and pollution-free. All roads on campus are lined with trees on both sides and there are garbage bins at every corner.
Hyderabad experiences a generally moderate climate, with winters that are comfortably cool and rarely dip below 10–12°C, making the season pleasant and easy to manage. Summers, particularly in April and May, can become quite hot, with average highs reaching 38–40°C and occasionally soaring above 42°C during heatwaves. Fortunately, the school summer break aligns with this period, offering respite from the intense heat. Overall, the city enjoys a balanced climate for most of the year, with only a few weeks of extreme temperatures.
IIIT-H is a small but diverse community and it's not very difficult to find people who share the same interests as yours. Therefore, there are a number of small clubs formed by enthusiasts who are passionate about the same things. We have clubs ranging from Music, Dance, Quizzing, Literary and Design to Programming and Open Source Development, all of which hold regular meetings and activities. And the best part is that if you want you can start your own clubs. There are no restrictions and all you need is loads of enthusiasm and passion to build a club of your own.
Right from your first day, each student is assigned to a house at IIIT-H. There are 4 houses - Aakash, Agni, Prithvi and Vayu. Each year the houses compete in a year-round competition which involves various cultural and sports activities.
It starts with the Fresher’s Night where the newcomers in each house put up a cultural show to compete for their house’s glory. The Fresher’s Night also includes Flair, an event which tests the individual participants in all their cultural and character traits, ultimately culminating in the crowning of the coveted titles of Mr. Fresher and Ms. Fresher.
Besides Freshers’ Night, IIITH also has some exciting cultural events, like Octave, an inter-house music competition where students show off their singing and instrumental skills in front of a pumped-up crowd and Cult Night, the grand finale of all house activities — a high-energy dance showdown where each house puts on themed performances, battling it out for the prestigious rolling trophy. Both nights are packed with fun, creativity, and unforgettable moments that bring the campus alive.
Sports in IIIT-H are a year-round phenomena. Throughout the Monsoon semester, you have inter-house sports competitions, in hopes to win the house cup.
This includes sports like track, basketball, cricket, football, table tennis, volleyball and tennis. Juniors and seniors play on the same team, which leads to great bonds being formed. This takes a turn during Spring semester, where the sports competitions are inter-batch. Batches form their own teams, and this time they play for pride. By the way, the adjacent Gachibowli stadium has Olympic grade swimming facilities.
We understand that college can become stressful at times. Staying away from home, and the academic pressure and take over sometimes. To overcome such low moments, IIIT-H also offers a free of cost counselling facility with the college counsellor. Anyone can avail this facility.
Programme Coordinator:
Dr. Bhaktee Dongaonkar (bhaktee.dongaonkar@iiit.ac.in)
Counsellors:
Ms. Bhavani Pullabhatla (bhavani.p@iiit.ac.in)
Dr. Kiranmayee Bapi (counsellor.kiranmayee@iiit.ac.in)
Tanushree Mustafi (tanusree.mustafi@iiit.ac.in)
Admin Officer:
Nadeem Hussian
Contact No.: +91 93916 33138
There are also student volunteers that the students can reach out to
Email: well-being.volunteers@iiit.ac.in