Getting into an IIT or an IIM is a dream for many. And the number of people attempting to get into the prestigious institute is growing by the day. But not all who join these institutions complete their courses. At least that is what the recent reports suggest. About 2,000 students dropped out of IITs and IIMs in the last two years, data from the institutes show. "Most of those who leave the course are those pursuing PhDs," said IIT-Bombay director Devang Khakhar. PhD dropout numbers are not so much about performance as the punishing tenure of the course. Academic attrition is the highest at IIT-Delhi with 699 students dropping out between 2014 and 2016. It is followed by IIT-Kharagpur (544) and IIT-Bombay (143). The number of dropouts at IIMs seems to have risen over the years. While 37 students dropped out between 2003 and 2005, the number rose to 69 between 2006 and 2008.It touched 104 between 2014 and 2016. "Poor academic performance is one of the reasons," said an IIM-Calcutta faculty member. The six-year-old IIMRaipur saw the highest dropouts (20) in the last two years.