New opportunities beckon those students who could not make it to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). The IITs are now in talks with the U.S. based Carnegie Mellon University to set up a Virtual IIT that will allow students to bag an IIT degree online.

The set up of the virtual varsity will take another three to four years with an investment of over $375 million. The IITs will analyze the Carnegie Mellon University’s distance learning program – the Open Learning Initiative started in 2002 – to devise the structure of the curriculum. Though the details of the fees are yet to be worked out, they are expected to be lower than the regular program.

“We are studying the models of Western universities as we plan to have a full-fledged online degree-granting program. A large number of private institutions do not have good teachers. We want to provide an online program in which not only students but also professional engineers and faculty can benefit from the engineering courses imparted by the IITs,” said an IIT director.

Around 50 national level engineering colleges will be short-listed to set up well-equipped laboratories where students taking online courses can go for practical sessions. There are also plans to make the courses available on Google and You Tube.