News from the world of Education: August 1, 2025

IndiaSkills Competition

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, invites applications for IndiaSkills Competition (ISC) 2025 to identify and nurture talented youth and prepare them to represent the nation on international stages and to inspire young people to pursue careers in vocational education and recognise the importance of skilled work in today’s economy. 

Eligibility: Indian nationals between 16 and 25 years. 

Deadline: September 30

Details at https://tinyurl.com/4e74c3mk

Block by Block

CoinSwitch, along with Trilegal, The Centre for Technology, Entertainment and Sports Law at NUJS Kolkata, has launched Block by Block, a national-level paper presentation competition on the theme A Policy Approach for Regulation of Virtual Digital Assets or Crypto assets to Foster the Growth of a New Asset Class in India.

Eligibility: Bonafide UG and PG students of Law and Public Policy programmes

Deadline: September 10

Details at https://tinyurl.com/pve2fa5m

Admissions and scholarships

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has opened registrations for NMAT by GMAC, which is accepted by 58 institutions in India for admissions to management programmes. The testing window will run from November 5 to December 19. Deadline to register is October 10. Details at https://www.mba.com/exams/nmat.

NMIMS’ School of Business Management invites applications to its MBA programmes with specialisations in Human Resources, Pharmaceutical Management, Business Analytics, and Digital Transformation. Admissions are through the NMAT by GMAC exam. For more details, visit https://nmat.nmims.edu/

IIM Kozhikode will conduct the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 on November 30 across 170 cities. 

Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree from a recognised institution with at least 50% or equivalent CGPA [45% for applicants from SC, ST and PwD categories] 

Deadline: September 13. 

Details at https://iimcat.ac.in

IIT Roorkee, in collaboration with Futurense, launched the six-month PG Certificate in AI-Enabled Digital Marketing and MarTech.

Commences: October 11

Eligibility: Graduates above 21 years with a degree (minimum 50%) from a recognised university

Details at https://tinyurl.com/3mzadfr9

Vidyamandir Classes has announced the Vidyamandir Intellect Quest 2025, which will be held on September 28, October 5, 11, 12, and 26. This national aptitude and scholarship test helps students assess their potential for various competitive and scholastic exams. Registration is free.

Eligibility: Students from classes 5 to 12

Details at www.vidyamandir.com

NIT Rourkela invites applications for Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) 2025 and Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB)-Special Round for eligible candidates seeking admission to UG programmes at NITs, IIITs, IIEST, SPAs, other technical Institutions funded by Central or state governments and some other institutes for 2025-26.

Deadline: August 7

For more details, visit https://csab.nic.in

Sanskriti University invites applications for its Diploma, UG, and PG programmes across Engineering, Management and Commerce, Education, Special Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pharmacy, Agriculture, Fashion Designing, Law and Legal Studies, Tourism and Hotel Management, Medical and Allied Sciences, Basic and Applied Sciences, Ayurveda, and Nursing.

Deadline: August 15

For details of eligibility and courses, visit https://tinyurl.com/y6v9jk2j

Masai, in collaboration with BITS School of Management, has launched programmes in Product Management with Agentic AI and Business Analytics and Decision Making with Generative AI.

Eligibility: Students, recent graduates with or without a Tech background

Details at and https://tinyurl.com/5ckxnshy

PhysicsWallah invites applications for the fourth edition of the PhysicsWallah National Scholarship Cum Admission Test (PWNSAT) 2025.

Eligibility: Students from Class 5 to 12 and those have completed class 12 (Science streams)

When: Between October 1 and 15 (online) and October 4, 5, 11 and 12 (offline)

Details at https://tinyurl.com/3ydef3m6

Dr. Azad Moopen, founder and chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, has launched the Dr. Moopen’s Legacy Scholarship and Fellowships Programme for meritorious students seeking admissions in Dr. Moopen’s Medical College, Dr Moopen’s Nursing College and Dr Moopen’s College of Pharmacy in Wayanad, Kerala. For details, visit https://www.dmscholarship.in/

Australia’s University of Wollongong (UOW) India has announced the Women Leaders in FinTech and Data Analytics Scholarship, which offers a 50% reduction in tuition fees for women pursuing a PG in Financial Technology, Financial Technology (Extension), or Computing (Data Analytics). Details at The university is also accepting applications for its November 2025 intake. Details at https://www.uow.edu.au/india/

Events

Anant National University, in collaboration with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, United States, hosted the Indigenous Consciousness Education Research Methodology Convening. Scholars, education policy experts and practitioners participated.

RuralShores Skills Academy, along with Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) Lighthouse Communities Foundation, has introduced a free Digital Marketing Certification Programme for youth from underserved communities. 

IIIT Hyderabad has launched a FabLab, with support from the Department of Science and Technology, under the Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE) scheme. It consists of semiconductor IC characterisation tools and will work on the development of biosensors and bio-actuators focused on healthcare applications. 

Ebix Smartclass launched Ebix AI School, an AI and coding programme to introduce AI, coding, robotics and computational thinking to students from classes 1 to 12. 

Manav Rachna University introduced an AeroVision Drone Lab, the Innovation in Flight Laboratory for Youth (iFLY). Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of the National Educational Technology Forum, was the chief guest.

IIM Nagpur organised Viksit Bharat 2047: Global Perspective Conference, a thought leadership summit. Ajay Sancheti, former MP and industrialist, was the chief guest.

Casagrand International School inaugurated the 14th edition of the International Indian Movement to United Nations (I.I.M.U.N) Tamil Nadu Conference 2025. Over 1,000 student delegates, and more than 100 principals participated. M. Venkaiah Naidu, former Vice President of India, was the chief guest.

Researchers led by Prof. Abhayanand Singh Maurya, faculty at the Department of Earth Sciences, IIT Roorkee, conducted a full-scale isotopic analysis of the Ganga from its Himalayan origin to its deltaic end, including its major tributaries to understand how the river is sustained during the hot and dry summer months. The study was published in Hydrological Processes.

IIM Kashipur conducted a five-day Nurturing Future Leadership programme under the aegis of the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme, Ministry of Education, Government of India for teachers and faculty members from higher education institutions.

SGT University, Gurugram, in collaboration with the University of Lucknow, University of Jammu, Vinoba Bhave University, and Chandragupt Institute of Management, Patna, hosted a Higher Education Leaders Conclave 2025 on the theme Reimagining Indian Education: Legacy, Policy, and Nation-Building in the Light of NEP 2020.

Welham Girls’ School, Uttarakhand, inaugurated a School Museum to celebrate its legacy. Premila Nazir, who was the first student to be enrolled in the school was the Guest of Honour. Neelam Khanna of the batch of 1965 was the chief guest.

NIIT University (NU), celebrated Van Mahotsav 2025 by hosting a plantation drive with 500 saplings at its Neemrana campus in the presence of Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The SAI International Education Group concluded the 13th edition of the SAI Model United Nations (SAIMUN). Around 750 delegates from 23 countries participated. Surama Padhy, Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, was the chief guest. SAI Tribune 2025, the conference’s official newsletter, was also launched.

The British Council and OneStep Global hosted a focused pre-departure event for Indian students heading to the U.K. this September. Representatives from 10 universities from the U.K. participated.

Extramarks Education launched Extra Intelligence, an AI-powered education suite designed to transform how schools teach, assess, and support students. It includes tools to personalise classroom experience, create cheat-resistant tests and other features. 

DPS Indirapuram hosted La Fiesta 2025, an annual inter-school Spanish Language Festival. Thirteen schools from Delhi NCR participated.

The Department of General Medicine from Sharda University’s School of Medicine Science and Research organised a seminar on World Hepatitis Day, to increase awareness about the disease and to educate participants about lifestyle changes.

Hindustan International School, Chennai, hosted the second edition of INNOWIZ 2.5, its inter-school fest. Students from 12 schools participated in 21 events. Lt. Gen. Michael A.J. Fernandez, Commandant, Officers Training Academy, Chennai, was the chief guest.

Western Sydney University has received approval from the University Grants Commission to establish a foreign branch campus in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. It will offer UG and PG programmes in Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from August 2026.

AI CERTs launched Mission AI-Saksham to collaborate with higher education institutions to offer free access to its industry-aligned certification programmes and bridge the AI skills gap in India.

ODM Educational Group held its annual Knowledge Krawl Fest for four of its campuses. Students participated in a range of activities such as STEM demos, dramatisations, innovation expos, and AI workshops.

KLH Global Business School, Hyderabad, hosted a HR Conclave on the theme Shaping Future Talent: HR Leadership in a Changing World. Speakers included Ramesh Kaza, State Street; Emmanuel Gosula, EPAM; Avinash Kumar, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, and others.

Prayoga Institute of Education Research hosted the inaugural International Geosciences Youth Movement (IGYM) Workshop for 15 high-school international finalists from the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) and 15 Indian students, who explored Earth System processes and developed youth-led action plans to promote Earth Systems Education (ESE).

Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA) has released findings from two nationwide surveys exploring how AI tools are being used in Indian classrooms. Key findings are: over 70% of teachers have already integrated AI tools into their teaching practices; teachers with over three years of experience showed even higher adoption rates, with nearly 75% reporting active use of AI resources. 

IIM Lucknow celebrated its 41st foundation day. Neha Prakash, Director, Training and Employment, Government of Uttar Pradesh, was the chief guest.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Philippines, has announced that the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) programmes from that country now meet all regulatory requirements of the National Medical Commission of India and that Indian students graduating from CHED-recognised medical institutions are  eligible to appear for India’s Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) and the National Exit Test (NexT).

Maya Academy of Advanced Creativity (MAAC) hosted Sandeep Kamalasanan, Creative Director at Mihira Visual Labs, for a masterclass on Building Invisible VFX for Complementing a Story, as part of its Behind the Screens initiative.

The Asian School of Business, in partnership with the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, will launch a 10-day international immersion programme for its students to learn about how stories become scalable businesses, how marketing, production, and distribution work behind the scenes, and more.

Smiling Tree partnered with Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology for a plantation drive, Nearly 500 saplings were planted on the campus.

Orientations and convocations

RV University welcomed 2,000 students across its various programmes. M.R. Jayaram, Chancellor, MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, was the chief guest.

Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, a constituent college of Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation Deemed-to-be University) hosted an inauguration programme for the new batch of Engineering students . V. Udaya Sankar, Director at NASSCOM, was the chief guest.

Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies hosted its Deeksharambh orientation programme for new students across disciplines. Prof. T.G. Sitharam, Chairman, AICTE, addressed the students in a special session.

CMR University hosted an orientation ceremony for over 1,100 students across its different schools. B.A. Patil, former Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, was the chief guest.

Gullas College of Medicine, Philippines, hosted a convocation for 733 graduates, which also included students from India. Harsh Kumar Jain, Ambassador of India to the Philippines, was the guest of honour. 

GITAM Deemed-to-be University, Bengaluru, hosted a convocation for 1,310 students. Seema Chopra, Executive Director and Senior Technical Fellow in Artificial Intelligence at Boeing, was the chief guest.

IIHMR Bangalore held its 14^th convocation for the PGDM batch of 2023–25. Dr. Pratima Murthy, Director and Senior Professor, NIMHANS, was the chief guest.

IIITDM Kancheepuram held its 13th convocation in which 400 students received their degrees. Kamal Kishore Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, was the chief guest.

Awards 

Six Indian nationals were among the first recipients of the International Academic Excellence Scholarship, a new University of Otago scholarship for offshore international students.

Four Class 8 and 9 students of Ryan International Academy underwent a 15-day internship with Helen O’ Grady International to get behind-the-scenes tours of big-scale theatre productions.

Sat Paul Mittal School, Ludhiana, scored 543 in Maths; 537 in Science, and 516 in Reading in the PISA-based Test for Schools (PBTS) conducted by the OECD Paris, which measures of student learning outcomes globally.

Prof. (Dr.) T. R. Subramanya, Dean, School of Legal Studies at CMR University, received the Advocate General Sri S.G. Sundaraswamy Centenary Award, for his contribution to legal education.

Anshul Kumar Thakur and Chaitanya Prabhakar from Ramjas College, Delhi University, were declared winners of the first edition of HDFC ERGO’s Insurance Quiz Senior. Arjun Gautam and Ishaan Semwal from BITS Pilani KK Birla Goa Campus came second and Ayush Agarwal and Toshit Pradeep Kumar from The LNM IIT were in third place.

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, won the Covasant AI Hackathon 2025 for its project on AI Agent Testing, designed to evaluate AI agents through stress testing, safety checks, and cost diagnostics. 

Tiana Dalal from Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai; Hansika Mahbubani from The Shri Ram School, Moulsari, Delhi; Saanvi Khetan from The International School, Bengaluru, and Mohnish Bhadra from Dubai International Academy, Dubai, won CaseQuest, hosted by BITS School of Management (BITSoM), in collaboration with CreatED, for high school students to develop no-code application solutions for fashion brand Nicobar.

More than 20 students from JD School of Design and JD Institute of Fashion Technology won across various categories at the JD Design Awards 2025. A new category — Digital Design Experience — was announced for the 2026 edition of the awards. 

Collaborations

UST has signed an MoU with BITS Pilani to drive R and D, prototyping, product innovation, and student skill development, and to offer structured internships for final and pre-final-year students.

Cambridge University Press and Assessment has signed an MoU with Panjab University, Chandigarh, to launch a collaborative English language programme under the Cambridge English Education Partner initiative.

The Department of Management (DoM), Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, signed an MoU with the Tamil Nadu Apex Skill Development Centre for Logistics, to enhance industry-academic collaboration.

Avanse Financial Services has partnered with Amazon Web Services, Inc.(AWS) to make quality, industry-relevant technology education accessible to a wider student base, regardless of financial background.

Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba, and KLE University India have partnered to launch an international medical programme that allows students to begin their medical journey at KLE University’s Belgaum campus and continue their preclinical sciences education at XUSOM and complete clinical rotations at Xavier’s affiliated and accredited teaching hospitals across the U.S. 

Koescore has partnered with Vision Civil Services, Noida, to integrate an AI-powered digital ecosystem including advanced assessment tools, performance analytics, learning management solutions, among others.

Samsung has signed an MoU with Startup India, an initiative of the Government of India, to empower young innovators from remote corners of India and strengthen the country’s startup ecosystem with Samsung Solve for Tomorrow.