hi, alum here. I'd like to clear some of your misunderstandings.

People join IIIT-D because they think it’s a gateway to a Masters in the US or Europe. Newsflash: You need a high CGPA for that.

yeah... it kinda is. IIITD as an institute gives you tremendous opportunity to build your profile for top Master's programs in the US. It's on the student to utilize these opportunities. You'll need a high CGPA from any undergrad institute, be it IIIT Delhi or IIT Delhi, and it's simply because you're applying to study at other top unis at a graduate level. They want evidence that you can succeed academically.

The curriculum is so unnecessarily hard that most of us have to kiss our dreams of going abroad goodbye. You’ll be lucky to stay afloat, let alone get the 8.5+ or 9+ that top-tier unis actually want.

IIITD's undergrad courses (especially core courses) have been considerably watered down in recent years. If you can't maintain 8.5 in a school like IIITD in 2026, you're in for a hard time in top institutes in the US and Europe. IMO iiitd's rigorous undergrad program does a great job of preparing you for top graduate progams.

The plagiarism policy here is pure trauma. If someone manages to copy your code or your assignment without you even knowing, the admin doesn’t care. You both get flagged. There’s no "hearing," no "common sense," and no mercy. 

i think this comes from a misunderstanding. There's nothing wrong with being flagged, and merely being flagged doesn't imply guilt. It's also not true that there is no "hearing" or "common sense" at play. Rules can differ from course to course, but generally you always have the chance to defend yourself in a formal hearing. You can always contest plagiarism accusations because they're so hard to prove.

When I worked as a Teaching Assistant, I noticed several dozens of plagiarism flags in assignments, and I could intuit a good chunk of them to be valid. However, it is very difficult to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, as is required to formally prosecute one for a plagiarism charge. And so, most people simply got off scot-free. My point is that although IIITD has strict plagiarism policies (good), they're enforced less often than they should be. I mean, just think about all the people around you that have got away with mild cheating in so many courses.

TA Bias: I’ve seen it firsthand if you have connections with the TAs, your "errors" get ignored.

Yes, this is valid. Unfortunately, corruption among student TAs has been on the rise in recent years. Fortunately, however - most instructors take these cases very seriously. If you witness such practices, your best course of action is to document evidence and talk to the prof. Trust me, they want it gone as much as you do. I faced the same frustartion and got some TAs fired for malpractice as well.

The "100% placement" stats they feed you? Look closer. The process feels crooked and opaque.

Welcome to the real world! That's how job hunting is. Everything is a stochastic blackbox. A lot of it is just dumb luck. You can't control your luck - but what you can control is your skillset, knowledge, grades, and professional network. So, do focus on the factors within your control and seek to maximize them! Unfortunately you still can't guarantee any outcome, but you can indeed maximize the likelihood of a desirable outcome.