The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are best known for engineering and technology education, but many campuses also offer foreign language courses for students, professionals and even the general public. These programmes help learners develop language skills while promoting international exposure and cultural understanding.
Several IITs conduct these courses through their Humanities departments or International Relations offices. In addition, some language programmes are available online through the NPTEL and SWAYAM platforms, making them accessible to learners across India.
IIT Kanpuroffers French, German and Japanese under its Foreign Language Programme. The courses are available at basic and advanced levels and are open to students, employees and external candidates. Classes are conducted in both online and offline modes, and participants receive certificates after completing the programme.
At IIT Delhi, the Indian and Foreign Language Learning Programme offers French, German and Japanese for the 2026-27 academic session. The classroom-based courses are open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, family members of employees and non-IIT learners.
IIT Bombay has one of the widest language offerings, including French, German, Japanese, Mandarin and Sanskrit. The courses are conducted in evening batches on campus and certificates are awarded after successful completion of each module.
Learners looking for online options can enrol in IIT Madras’ German language courses available through NPTEL and SWAYAM. The institute offers German at three levels, and while enrolment is free, learners can obtain a certificate by appearing for a proctored examination after paying a fee of Rs1,000.
IIT Kharagpur offers German as an elective for its students and also runs an online Spoken Sanskrit course through NPTEL. IIT Hyderabad, in collaboration with the Central Sanskrit University, offers an introductory Sanskrit certificate course that is open to everyone, including those with no prior knowledge of the language.
With these programmes, IITs are expanding learning opportunities beyond STEM education by encouraging multilingual skills, cultural exchange and interdisciplinary education for learners across the country.
