News from the world of Education: October 16, 2025

VIBGYOR Viva 2025

The VIBGYOR Group of Schools will host Season 17 of VIBGYOR Viva 2025 across 15 cities, with the finale in Pune on December 21. The lineup includes interactive workshops and both offline and online competitions in Performing Arts, Logic and Strategy, and Parent-Child Events. Students who wish to participate can visit vibgyorviva.com for more details.

Admissions and scholarships

FORE School of Management has opened admissions for its PG Diploma in Management (PGDM) programmes with specialisations in International Business; Financial Management, and Big Data Analytics

Eligibility: Minimum 50% in Bachelor’s degree from a recognised institute and valid score in CAT 2025, XAT 2026, or GMAT (taken between January 1, 2024, and January 31, 2026).

Details at https://tinyurl.com/25n7bfp3

ITM Business School has launched an Early Decision Benefit Window for its MBA iConnect 2026 programme, offering students a 20% first-year tuition-fee waiver. Applications close on November 10, with offline selection on November 15–16. Details: tinyurl.com/3df79j4t.

IIT Kanpur invites applications for itsonline M.Tech., M.Sc., and PG Diploma programmes.

Eligibility: Minimum 5.5 CPI or 55% in qualifying degree. Valid score in GATE, JAM, CEED, CAT, GRE, GMAT or IIT-Kanpur’s online entrance test.

Details at online.iitk.ac.in

VidyaGyan has opened admissions for 2026–27 and will hold the preliminary entrance exam on November 30.

Eligibility: Students currently in class 5 at a rural school with an annual family income not exceeding ₹3,00,000.

Deadline: October 25

Details at www.vidyagyan.in

Blockchain For Impact has launched the India Reimagined Fellowship, which will be available only through institutional nominations. Up to three fellowships will be awarded in the current cycle, with one fellow per host institution.

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Details at https://www.blockchainforimpact.in/

The University of Southampton Delhi has opened applications for its August 2026 UG intake and has introduced two new programmes: B.Sc. (Hons) Creative Computing and B.Eng. (Hons) Software Engineering.

Eligibility: Minimum 75% in Class 12 or equivalent

Details on courses and more at https://tinyurl.com/cjsbm68t

Ashoka University has opened applications for the 2026 and announced 500 merit-and-need-based scholarships across all its UG programmes. There will be four application rounds. Round 1 is underway and Round 4 will conclude on May 31, 2026. Details at www.ashoka.edu.in

Goa Institute of Management has opened admissions for the 2026–28 batches of Postgraduate Management Programmes.

Eligibility: Minimum 50% aggregate in Bachelor’s degree (45% for SC/ST category) and valid scores in CAT 2025, XAT 2026, and GMAT scores (between January 1, 2024 and January 15, 2026) 

Deadline: October 23 for first mover application window; final deadline is January 2.

More details at https://admissions.gim.ac.in/

IIIT Hyderabad has collaborated with TalentSprint, to offer programmes to GenAI aspirants.

Eligibility: Minimum 50% in B.E., B.Tech, M.E., M.Tech, M.Sc. MBA, or equivalent Master’s degree and basic coding knowledge 

Details at https://tinyurl.com/y4mj33c3

The University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, the U.K., invites applications for its M.Sc. Machine Learning and Deep Learning, starting in January 2026. Scholarships are available.

Eligibility: First-or second-class honours degree (or international equivalent) in Electronic or Electrical Engineering, or Computer Science; Overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with no individual band less than 5.5.

Details at https://tinyurl.com/26p8sc6u

Sheffield University Management School, the U.K., is offering scholarships worth 50% of the tuition fees for students who hold an offer to study the Sheffield MBA in September 2026. Details at https://tinyurl.com/53z9xw4t

Masters’ Union has launched PGP Bharat, a six-month travelling PG programme where students will intern and consult with Fortune 500 companies and India’s startups across 20 cities. Round 1 commences in January 2026

Eligibility: Graduates across disciplines and final-year students

Deadline: November 2025

Details at https://tinyurl.com/y62w9efu

EY and Microsoft have launched the AI Skills Passport, a free online programme for students aged 16 years and above, offering job-ready AI training in English and Hindi. It includes videos, exercises, and assessments. More information at tinyurl.com/4y7mc8nv.

Macquarie University, Australia, has announced the Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship for Indian students.

Eligibility: Full-time international students commencing a UG or PG degree (excluding Graduate Certificates).

Deadline: Round the year

Details at https://tinyurl.com/3sx652vv

Events

Hridank Garodia, a Class 11 student from Mumbai’s Dhirubhai Ambani International School, has developed Aerovive, a microalgae-based air purifier that reduces CO₂ and increases oxygen. The innovation was recognised at the IRIS National Science Fair and ICSEAT International Conference.

Apexon and The Ma Foi Foundation launched the Ahaan Vocational Centre at Don Bosco College, Bengaluru, to train 220 underprivileged students in banking, financial services, and insurance with industry-aligned skills and career readiness.

LSE Generate partnered with The Beacon School, Gurugram, to introduce empathy-led entrepreneurship to students between 10 and 12 years, through a virtual workshop on Empathetic Leadership, as part of the LSE Generate Delhi Entrepreneurial Festival 2025.

KL Deemed-to-be University, in collaboration with Universiti Malaya, upgraded its Flexible Electronics Laboratory to a Centre of Excellence in Flexible Electronics. Prof. Wan Haliza Binti Abd. Majid, Head, LDMRC, Universiti Malaya, was the chief guest.

Witty International School, Mumbai, hosted a World Mental Health Day session by Aparna Verma, founder of Yellow and Blue Counselling. Over 120 students from Classes 8–10 discussed stress, anxiety, self-esteem, and academic pressures.

IIHMR University celebrated its 41st Foundation Day and launched the Centre for Environmental Health to tackle climate change, water and sanitation, occupational health, and related issues.

IIM Raipur celebrated its 16^th Foundation Day. Dignitaries included Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIM-Ahmedabad; Sambasivan G., CFO, Tata Play; and Rajeev Jain, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, DS Group. Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to faculty and staff, and PhD scholars were felicitated for their academic excellence. STEM programmes, SIDBI collaborations and MBA in Public Policy were launched.

The Scindia School celebrated its 128^th Foundation Day. General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, was the chief guest.

BIMTECH celebrated its 38^th Foundation Day with Sanjay Joshi, CMD of The Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. as the chief guest. Archana Shrivastava was conferred the Best Researcher Award 2024, and Neha Sharma won the Best Researcher (Runner-up) Award 2024. 

Azim Premji University observed World Mental Health Day 2025 on the theme No one left behind: Mental Health among India’s Urban Poor. Sarbani Das Roy, Co-Founder and Director of Iswar Sankalpa in Kolkata; Rama Shyam, Director, SNEHA’s Adolescent and Youth Programme in Mumbai; Aravind B.A., Additional Professor at NIMHANS in Bengaluru, were among the speakers.

The fifth ROM Physio Run, a 664 km non-stop relay across Tamil Nadu organised by SRM College of Physiotherapy, concluded at Kattankulathur campus. The event promoted movement as medicine and the importance of endurance and healthy aging.

FLAME University’s Centre for Research in Wellbeing and Happiness hosted its first symposium on Intervention Pathways to Wellbeing: Families, Communities, and the Lifecycle Approach and released its inaugural policy report, Later Life in India: Ageing Well in Perspective.

IISc Bengaluru and the British Asian Trust India have launched the Cybersecurity Faculty Development Programme to help STEM faculty in India incorporate cybersecurity into their teaching and research.

TERI School of Advanced Studies held a two-day workshop, under the Climate Skills – Seeds for a Transition India initiative, for over 130 students to address local climate issues and promote sustainable living.

Sagarika Das from the Centre for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics at Dibrugarh University, Prof. Tanmoy Karak from the Department of Soil Science at the School of Agricultural Sciences at Nagaland University and tea biochemist Monoranjan Goswami from Tocklai Tea Research Institute in Assam have discovered that tea blossoms contain powerful bioactive compounds, highlighting their potential as natural health supplements. The findings were published in the Food Research Journal.

Prof. Suman Jha, Associate Professor in the Department of Life Science, and research scholars Kumari Subham, Sonali Jena, and Monalisha Ojha from NIT Rourkela have developed eco-friendly antibacterial agents using medicinal plant extracts to combat superbugs caused by antibiotic overuse. Their study was published in Surfaces and Interphases.

Mahindra University hosted the third International Conference on Cyber-Physical Systems, Power Electronics, and Electric Vehicles, featuring keynote speakers such as Alberto Bosio from the University of Lyon, France, and Prof. B.G. Fernandes from IIT-Bombay.

IIM Lucknow received over 580 offers in summer placements for its 41st PGP and 22nd Agribusiness batches, with companies such as Adobe, Reliance, BCG, HUL, ITC among the recruiters.

Tvastra by Prachi Foundation hosted art education to underprivileged children in Mumbai’s municipal schools and held preparatory classes for students appearing for the Maharashtra Elementary and Intermediate Drawing Grade Examinations.

The Museum of Solutions (MuSo) and Planet Auto launched VROOM, an interactive automotive experience for children featuring hands-on zones, working models, and real engineering activities. Visitors can buy tickets from museumofsolutions.in or at the venue.

Around 300 members including UG students, faculty, staff, and the NSS wing of IIT Roorkee organised a Ganga Canal Cleaning Drive.

The Illness to Wellness Foundation, in collaboration with the Physical Education Foundation of India, organised a health education programme titled Healthy Hands, Healthy Childhood to mark Global Handwashing Day.

DPS International, Gurugram, marked its 10th annual day with a tribute to Maharana Pratap through performances on the Battle of Haldighati. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, the 77th custodian of the House of Mewar, was the chief guest.

Somaiya Vidyavihar University hosted a two-day Maai Maati Film Festival and conversation series, organised by Somaiya Dhwani Chitram, the university’s film school, the Department of Mass Communication, Somaiya School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Centre for Achieving Sustainable Climate Action, Development, and Engagement, and Somaiya Institute for Research and Consultancy. The curated selection of films and interactive sessions aimed to foster dialogue, awareness, and creative engagement on sustainability, climate action, and human–nature relationships.

Convocations

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, hosted its 35th convocation with over 1,400 students receiving their degrees. V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, was the chief guest.

SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chennai, held its 21^st convocation for over 15,000 students. Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, was the chief guest.

Sharda University hosted its ninth convocation for over 4,000 students. Dignitaries included Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the GOI, Shiv K. Sarin, Director, ILBS, and Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, President, INSA. 

IMT Ghaziabad held a convocation for over 850 students, who received their degrees from Mohit Burman, Chairman of Dabur India.

Rishihood University held a convocation for 62 students across various streams. Manish Maheshwari, General Partner at BAT VC and Former Head of Twitter India, delivered the keynote address.

Awards and laurels

Harpita and Harpith Pandian, students at Rutgers University, came first in the Infosys Human Augmentation Track at HackHarvard 2025 for their iOS app Halo, which uses AI and AR to help users respond like trained professionals to medical emergencies.

The International Institute of Culinary Arts, New Delhi, won the 11th FICCI Higher Education Excellence Award 2025 for Excellence in Creating Employment and Entrepreneurship (Private).

Dakshina Rajah, Ankit Yadav and Akshay Saini from IIM Lucknow won the third edition of MakeMyTrip’s Young Turks: The Business Challenge. Meenakshi R, Gokul S, and Karthick PS from IIM Mumbai, and Devam Kamal Gada, Khushi Katyal, Siddhi Setia from ISB Hyderabad were the runners-up. 

Swastika Mishra and Adweya Sarangi from KIIT International School won the Bhubaneswar edition of TCS InQuizitive 2025.

Team Pulimada — Ashwin Pavithran, Linto Jomon, Elston Savio, and Aharon Mathews — from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, were declared winners from India in the fifth edition of D3CODE 2025, UST’s global hackathon.

An all-women’s team from Malineni Lakshmaiah Women’s Engineering College, Guntur, came first in HacXLerate, byteXL’s national hackathon. Teams from Parul University and Pune Institute of Computer Technology won second prize, while another team from Parul University came third.

Swarnima Patel from IIT Roorkee won Season 9 of Tata Steel’s Women of Mettle scholarship programme followed by Shrishti Shreya from NIT Jamshedpur and Diya Adiga from ISM Dhanbad.

Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College came first in Intellithon 2025 – AI Grand Challenge, a national-level hackathon hosted by the Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS), Chennai, in partnership with Zoho Corporation. HITS and Shiv Nadar University came second while Rajalakshmi Engineering College came third.

Gopinath Annadurai, a doctoral student from IIM Bangalore’s Public Policy area, was selected for the Visiting PhD Fellowship at the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research, Helsinki, where he will pursue his project India Lives in Her Hamlets: Asymmetric Caste Segregation in Rural India.

Centurion University, Odisha, secured a global rank of 1501+ and a national rank of 98 in the World University Rankings 2026 published by Times Higher Education.

ESCP Business School’s Executive MBA programme ranked #1 in Europe and #3 globally in the 2025 Financial Times ranking of the top 100 Executive MBA programmes.

O.P. Jindal Global University won the 2025 Global Education for Peace Award by the Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR) at the STAR Global Conference 2025 for fostering peace through higher education.

OncoALERT, a test powered by paper-based nanotechnology to address late detection of oral cancer developed by Jayanti Kumari from the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, will represent India in the finals of the James Dyson Award. 

BITS Pilani received a grant from the National Technical Textile Mission, GOI to integrate textile technologies into civil engineering education and research through a project on Building and Construction Textiles.

Lavanya Jain, Pranika Gupta, and Ruthvik Makam Chenna, PYP 5 students from OWIS Whitefield, won the Gold Trophy at Global Excellence Day 2025, organised by the Global Schools Group, Singapore, for their scalable e-waste management system for schools and communities.

MoUs and partnerships

IIIT Hyderabad and NIFTEM-Kundli signed an MoU to collaborate on joint research in Food Technology, AI, Blockchain, Sensing, and Robotics.

Unnati Foundation has partnered with the Gujarat government to implement its UNXT programme in government colleges, offering employment-focused training in communication, workplace-readiness, values, and life skills.

Green Gold Animation and Frameboxx Animation and Visual Effects signed an MoU to launch an industry-integrated Animation and VFX degree programme combining academics with real-world experience.

Aptech Limited and WOL3D have launched a hybrid 3D printing training curriculum so that 3D Animation and Design students get exposure to real-world workflows and learn to apply their skills in the manufacturing, product prototyping, healthcare, and architecture sectors.

Check Point Software Technologies signed an agreement with Chandigarh University to provide students with access to the Check Point SecureAcademy educational programme and equip them with hands-on cybersecurity skills.

Instrucko has partnered with Literacy India to develop critical life skills among students, including personality development, financial literacy, public speaking, and life skills.

PhysicsWallah (PW) signed an MoU with IDP Education India toallow PW students will access the IELTS curriculum.

DBS Foundation has partnered with Sampark Foundation to launch the DBS Foundation x Sampark Foundation: Foundational Learning Programme for underserved children across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Himachal Pradesh.

The University of Melbourne, Australia, has signed a letter of intent with the Tamil Nadu Technology Hub to foster innovation links in Deep and Emerging Technologies and create an ecosystem for advancements in innovation between Australia and India.

TEXMiN, IIT(ISM) Dhanbad, has signed a Letter of Intent with the University of Cambridge, the U.K., to establish a Critical Minerals Supply Chain Satellite Observatory at IIT(ISM) Dhanbad.