Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Teenager With Disability Secures IIT Madras Data Science Admission
J. Santhosh is a 17-year-old student from Chennai.
He has had cerebral palsy and a serious spinal muscular disability since birth.
He dreamed of studying at IIT Madras after missing a school trip to the campus in 2025.
Santhosh worked with help from his family, teachers, and TN Volunteers.
He became the top student in his school’s Class 12.
He passed the Data Science and Applications programme’s qualifier on his second try.
The course can mostly be studied online, which makes it easier for him to attend.
TN Volunteers will help him at the beginning and pay his first-year tuition.
Santhosh’s achievement shows how education and support can help students overcome major challenges.
Seventeen-year-old J. Santhosh has secured admission to IIT Madras despite 90% spinal muscular disability and cerebral palsy.
He was admitted to the institute’s four-year Bachelor of Science programme in Data Science and Applications.
Santhosh cleared the programme’s qualifier examination on his second attempt and was the only student from his class to gain admission.
The programme’s online and flexible structure, with campus attendance mainly for examinations and practical sessions, suited his circumstances.
TN Volunteers will provide initial in-person and artificial intelligence training support and cover his first-year tuition fees.
- Who
- J. Santhosh, a 17-year-old student with 90% spinal muscular disability and cerebral palsy.
- What
- He secured admission to IIT Madras’s four-year Bachelor of Science programme in Data Science and Applications.
- When
- He cleared the qualifier examination on his second attempt; the articles do not specify the admission date.
- Where
- The admission is to the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
- Why
- The programme’s flexible online structure suited Santhosh’s condition, while family, teachers, and TN Volunteers supported his education.
- Student
- J. Santhosh, aged 17
- Disability
- 90% spinal muscular disability and cerebral palsy since birth
- Institute
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras
- Programme
- Four-year Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Applications
- Qualifier result
- Cleared on the second attempt
- Class achievement
- The only student from his class to secure admission to the programme
- Support
- TN Volunteers will provide initial in-person support, artificial intelligence training, and first-year tuition assistance
