Campus guide · IIT Delhi · Hauz Khas
IIT Delhi's campus covers 325 acres in Hauz Khas, South Delhi, according to the institute's current pages. It sits between Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Ring Road, flanked by the Qutub Minar and the Hauz Khas monuments. Its hostels are named after mountain ranges, and they have room for only about half the students. This is the sourced guide: size, the full hostel list, getting there, and what students say about living here.
How big is the IIT Delhi campus?
The current figure on the institute's site is "the vibrant 325 acres campus" (IIT Delhi). An older official page said "The campus of the Institute extends to an area of 320 acres" (IIT Delhi map and location (archived)). Wikipedia's 375 acres has no source. Use 325.
The same older page describes the setting: "Bounded by the Sri Aurobindo Marg on the east, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Complex on the west, the National Council of Educational Research and Training on the south, and the New Ring Road on the north, the Institute campus is flanked by Qutub Minar and the Hauz Khas monuments" (IIT Delhi map and location (archived)).
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Campus area | 325 acres (earlier: 320) | IIT Delhi |
| Location | Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016 | IIT Delhi map and location (archived) |
| Founded | College of Engineering, 1961; IIT under the 1963 Act | IIT Delhi about |
| Distances | About 10 km to the airport; 14 km to New Delhi station; 19 km to Old Delhi | IIT Delhi map and location (archived) |
| Hostels | 13 older hostels, 3 new AC hostels (PG/PhD), Nalanda transit housing | IIT Delhi hostel circular 2026-27 |
| Hostel capacity | "only a little over half (50%)" of students | IIT Delhi halls of residence |
A foundation stone laid by Prince Philip
The institute traces itself to a British-backed college: "H.R.H. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during his visit to India, laid the foundation stone of the College of Engineering & Technology in Hauz Khas, Delhi, on January 27, 1959". The first students reported on 16 August 1961 and the college was inaugurated the next day. It became IIT Delhi under the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Act, 1963 (IIT Delhi about).
Getting to IIT Delhi
The older location page puts the campus about 10 km from the airport, 14 km from New Delhi railway station and 19 km from the Delhi main station (IIT Delhi map and location (archived)). The institute's current wording on the metro is simply that "Multiple Metro stations and Metro lines adjoin the campus" (IIT Delhi). Students say there are no restrictions on moving around campus: "Students can roam freely in the campus and it is pretty safe" (r/IITDelhi).
IIT Delhi hostels: the full list
The 2026-27 hostel circular lists them in three groups (IIT Delhi hostel circular 2026-27):
| Group | Hostels | Who lives there |
|---|---|---|
| Older hostels (13) | Aravali, Girnar, Himadri, Jwalamukhi, Kailash, Kumaon, Karakoram, Nilgiri, Satpura, Shivalik, Udaigiri, Vindhyachal, Zanskar | Undergraduates and others; Himadri and Kailash are women's hostels |
| New hostels (3), centrally air-conditioned | Dronagiri, Saptagiri, Sahyadri | PG and PhD only; Sahyadri and five floors of Saptagiri are for women |
| Transit | Nalanda | Shared apartments, treated as transit accommodation |
Men's/women's split from IIT Delhi halls of residence.
Two things set IIT Delhi apart. First, space: the hostels hold "only a little over half (50%) of the total enrolled students", so hostel accommodation is not guaranteed. Second, air conditioning: "Currently all hostel accommodation that can be made available for UG students is NON-Air-Conditioned only", though common rooms and dining areas are air-conditioned (IIT Delhi halls of residence). Hostels are run by elected students under the Board for Hostel Management.
For 2026-27, hostel seat rent is ₹8,600 a semester and the mess ₹37,000 (tentative). IIT Delhi is also one of the few IITs where hostel is not compulsory. The full comparison is in our IIT hostel guide.
Places worth knowing
- Students' Activities Centre (SAC), with a swimming pool and gymnasium, and an amphitheatre that hosts events (IIT Delhi map and location (archived)).
- Lecture Hall Complex (LHC), where most large classes run.
- Central Library, serving the campus "since 1961" (IIT Delhi library).
- Sports complex on the campus's south side.
What students say
"The campus is definitely old, and some of the older buildings were built in the early 70s..so yeah, they do give off that Soviet/Brutalist architecture vibe 😂. But the academic environment is quite good" (r/IITDelhi)
"They know and they ignore. In order to accommodate students, they first need to build new hostels. Where to build?" (r/IITDelhi)
More on IIT Delhi: placements 2026 and Rendezvous, its cultural fest.
From IIT Delhi? Rep your campus with IIT Delhi merchandise: hoodies, tees, varsity jackets and mugs, shipped across India.
By Arun Raghav S · Co-founder, IITian Vibes · Facts retrieved 30 September 2026 from the linked institute pages. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under the licences shown. Corrections to hello@iitianvibes.com.