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For Indian college teams
The International Collegiate Programming Contest is the biggest team contest for college programmers. Here is how it works in India, how to qualify, and how to get ready.
3 Oct 2026 · 1:30–4:30 PM IST
One common, proctored online contest for all four Indian regionals, hosted on CodeChef in Safe Exam Browser. Each site builds its own rank list from it.
Teams of three students from the same college solve algorithmic problems against the clock, sharing one computer. It runs in over 100 countries, and the best teams from each region meet at the World Finals.
3 + coach
1 per team
5 hours
4 sites
Indian teams go through one shared online preliminary, then an onsite regional, then the Asia West Continent Championship.
Three students from the same institution, plus a faculty member who agrees to act as coach. The coach creates the team on icpc.global.
Before registration
Register for up to two Indian regional sites, pay the preliminary fee, and submit one undertaking per team.
Closed 25 Sep 2026
One common, proctored online contest for all four Indian regionals, hosted on CodeChef in Safe Exam Browser. Each site builds its own rank list from it.
3 Oct 2026 · 1:30–4:30 PM IST
Each regional publishes the teams invited onsite, using its own mix of overall rank and per-institute quotas.
Mid-October 2026
Five-hour team contests at Chennai, Kanpur, Mathura and Amritapuri. Regional champions qualify for the World Finals.
10 Dec 2026 – 2 Jan 2027
Top teams from each regional compete for the remaining World Finals slots. Team composition cannot change after the regional.
20–21 Mar 2027 (announced)
The world championship. A student can compete in at most two World Finals.
Date and venue set by ICPC
All four sites share the preliminary on CodeChef. You can register for up to 2, and each site selects its onsite teams from the preliminary results.
Asia West
SRM Institute of Science and Technology
Teams with zero solves are dropped, the top 20 go through on rank, and the rest of the seats are filled institute by institute.
Regional websiteAsia West
CSJM University, Kanpur
Based on preliminary performance, following the published selection-criteria PDF.
Regional websiteAsia West
GLA University
Top 15 teams qualify directly, then institute toppers are ranked by preliminary performance to fill the rest.
Regional websiteAsia West
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Shortlisted on preliminary performance using the published onsite criteria; teams are notified by 15 Oct 2026.
Regional websiteICPC rewards the whole team: speed on easy problems, accuracy under pressure, and smart use of a single keyboard.
The whole team shares a single machine, so deciding who types, who thinks and who debugs on paper matters as much as raw skill.
Onsite regionals usually run five hours. The preliminary is shorter, about three hours online.
Teams are ranked by problems solved. Ties are broken by penalty: the minute each problem was accepted, plus 20 minutes for every rejected attempt on it.
The standings stop updating for the final hour, so you cannot tell exactly where you finished until the results are revealed.
Onsite, you can bring a printed reference of up to 25 pages: templates, algorithms, and formulas you trust. No internet.
Most teams use C++ for speed and the STL. Time limits are rarely tuned for Python, so keep it for quick scripts only.
Final eligibility is decided by the official ICPC regional rules.
A realistic plan if you start in your first or second year. Ratings are rough guides, not cut-offs.
Use CPBoard to get there
Official
Practice
Yes. There is no minimum year of study. Many strong teams include a first- or second-year student who grows with the team.
No. All three contestants must be enrolled at the same institution.
Yes. A faculty member from your institution has to register the team on icpc.global. Ask a professor early, because registration closes in September.
Up to 2 Indian regional sites, each registered separately. All of them share the same online preliminary.
The preliminary is ₹1,500 per team. Teams invited onsite pay about ₹4,500 per team at Chennai, Kanpur and Mathura; check Amritapuri's site for its fee.
No. Several regionals (Chennai and Mathura this season) fill seats institute by institute after the top teams, so the best team from your college has a real chance even without a top national rank.
Yes. Every Indian regional reserves onsite slots for all-female teams this season.
Season details checked on 29 Sept 2026. Rules change every year, so confirm on the official sites.
ICPC IndiaAmritapuri regionalKanpur regionalA guide to Indian ICPC 2026