RISE Institute records 15+ IIT selections; six girls from J&K crack IIT in a historic first

RISE Institute, Srinagar’s leading coaching centre for JEE and NEET preparation, has announced 15+ IIT selections in JEE Advanced 2026, adding another milestone to its unbroken legacy as the only institute in Kashmir to have sent students to the IITs every single year since its founding in 2012.

The standout story of this year’s result is the selection of six girls from Jammu & Kashmir — Soliha, Hyfa, Nuha, and Ayesha from Kashmir, and Isma and Parveen from Kargil, Ladakh. Last year, three girls qualifying for IIT from Kashmir was an achievement so rare it made national headlines, drew a congratulatory tweet from the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, and was covered by The Hindu and The Indian Express. This year, RISE has doubled that number.

Particularly noteworthy are the two selections from Kargil — Isma and Parveen — from a region that has historically had limited access to structured IIT coaching. For Kargil, which sits at the edge of Ladakh and has long been underserved in terms of competitive exam preparation, these selections represent more than individual achievement. They signal that the aspiration and talent to reach India’s most prestigious engineering institutions exists far beyond the metros, and that the right guidance can unlock it.

The broader significance of six girls cracking IIT from Jammu & Kashmir cannot be overstated. In a region where societal pressures, limited role models, and geographical barriers have historically made it difficult for girls to pursue competitive engineering education, this result challenges every one of those narratives. Each name on this list — Soliha, Hyfa, Nuha, Ayesha, Isma, Parveen — becomes a reference point for the next girl in Kashmir or Kargil who dares to imagine an IIT.

RISE is the only institute in Kashmir to have maintained an unbroken streak of IIT selections year after year. With over 1,000 cumulative IIT and NIT selections since its inception, the institute has quietly built a track record that few coaching centres anywhere in the country can match on a per-student basis. Its students have gone on to study at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, AIIMS, and even internationally at Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania.

RISE was co-founded by Mubeen Masudi, an alumnus of IIT Bombay, and Salman Shahid and Imbesat Ahmad, both alumni of IIT Kharagpur. The three founders left behind careers elsewhere to invest in the educational future of Kashmir — a decision that has since transformed the academic trajectories of hundreds of students from the Valley and beyond. Co-founder Salman Shahid, who hails from Delhi, was honoured with the prestigious Young Alumni Achiever Award by IIT Kharagpur in recognition of his contribution to education in Kashmir through RISE.

The work of RISE has not gone unnoticed. The institute has been covered by leading national and international media houses including BBC, The Hindu, and The Indian Express, reflecting the wider recognition of what is being built in the Kashmir Valley. Each year’s result has drawn fresh attention to the story of a region rewriting its own educational narrative, one IIT seat at a time.

“Kashmir has always had brilliant minds. What it needed was the right environment and the belief that these dreams were achievable. Today’s result — 15+ IITs, six girls, two from Kargil — is proof that when you invest in students with sincerity, they surpass every expectation. We are immensely proud of each one of them, and we are just getting started.”

— Mubeen Masudi, Co-founder, RISE Institute (IIT Bombay)

“When Soliha, Hyfa, Nuha, Ayesha, Isma, and Parveen cracked IIT, they didn’t just secure a seat at one of the world’s most competitive institutions — they told every young girl in Kashmir and Kargil that the door is open for her too. That is what moves us the most. The numbers matter, but these six names are a movement.”

— Salman Shahid, Co-founder, RISE Institute (IIT Kharagpur)

As JEE Advanced 2026 results mark another chapter in RISE’s story, the institute remains focused on what it has always believed: that every student in Kashmir, regardless of background or geography, deserves access to the kind of preparation that gives them a genuine shot at the best institutions in the world. This year’s result is evidence that the mission is working.