IIT Madras - Indian Institute of Technology - [IITM]

IIT Madras is a residential institute and provides accommodation to students in the hostels. There are 20 hostels, all named after the mighty rivers of India. Of the hostels, 5 are for female and 15 are for male students.

The first-year undergraduate students are accommodated in a sharing style accommodation. In subsequent years, single/double/triple rooms are allotted depending on the hostel. Postgraduate students are accommodated in a sharing/single room. Internet and Local Area Network (LAN) facilities are provided in every room and there is a computer room in the hostels.

Hostel facilities include a garden and a library from which students can borrow books. Every hostel has washing machines, some sports facilities, music/tech/television rooms. Most hostel-level meetings take place in common rooms. The students celebrate festivals such as Holi, Pongal, Onam, Diwali, and New Year’s Eve. The hostel night is organised annually by each hostel, where the entire hostel celebrates with food and music. This occasion also commemorates the graduating seniors of that hostel.

The Institute operates buses and mini autos connecting the main gate to different parts of the campus, including the Hostel and Academic zones at frequent intervals. Students are encouraged to traverse the vast campus on bicycles or on foot. Use of powered vehicles by students is not permitted.

Each hostel functions as an independent unit with respect to its internal administration under the overall supervision of the Council of Wardens and the Hostel Management. Each hostel has a Warden, a faculty member, and a resident Assistant Warden. The Hostel Office is located within each hostel, where the office staff and wardens handle the administration of the hostel. The Hostel Council comprises the Warden and a number of elected student secretaries from the hostel that look into hostel-related issues. The Hostel Council plans the students' activities for the year, prepares the budget for sports, recreational and other social activities through the respective student secretaries, and runs individual messes alongside the Mess Committee.

The General Secretary of the Hostel Council ensures proper maintenance of the hostel premises and coordinates the activities of the other secretaries. The Mess Secretary works in conjunction with the Mess Committee and mess staff for procuring food items, planning the menu and maintaining hygiene in the kitchen and mess hall.

There are general rules for all hostels – and in certain cases, rules for specific facilities within the hostel – that all residents have to abide by.