The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT, K) has launched a brief online course titled "Applied Data Science & Machine Intelligence: Fundamentals to Next Generation AI". The course is scheduled to begin sometime between June 1 and July 15 and will be of 45 days duration. Prof Rajesh Hegde, IIT Kanpur will be the course mentor.

Eligibility

Students who want to make a career in AIML, researchers who want to innovate AI based solutions, teachers who want to gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject, professionals from the industry who want to use AI tools, entrepreneurs who are building AI based products, and professionals switching to AI roles.

How to apply

Those interested can register for the programme through the official link -- iitk.ac.in/oa/events/2025-26/next-generation-AI. For any queries or additional information, participants may reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact directly at 91‑7080526234.

Programme covers

This programme is a colourful journey into modern AI through its various aspects: machine learning basics, deep learning algorithms, large language models (LLMs), GenAI applications, real world AI case studies. To balance concept and serving practical needs, learners can choose from recorded or live sessions that add up to over 50 hours of learning time including 10+ hands- on projects. The course is designed for flexibility: 24/7 access to materials, expert talks, and timetable to cater to different needs.

In the meantime, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT, K) Class of 2000 have made their highest ever donation of Rs 100 crore to IIT Kanpur during their Silver Jubilee Reunion held on the campus. This is the highest pledge made by any batch of any academic institution in India, according to an IIT, Kanpur statement.

With their Rs 100 crore pledge towards their alma mater, Class of the Millennium aspires to lay the foundation for Millennium School of Technology and Society (MSTAS) at IIT Kanpur. This announcement was a major event of the Silver Jubilee Reunion celebratory weekend that witnessed alumni from all over the world coming back to the campus, meeting faculty, and each other, while reaffirming their commitment to IIT Kanpur's future.

Berhampur University on Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), ministry of Ayush, to digitise, catalogue and publish rare Ayurvedic manuscripts and palm, leaf documents preserved at its South Odisha Cultural Study Centre (SOCSC).

The MoU was signed between Berhampur University vice, chancellor Geetanjali Dash and CCRAS director, general Rabinarayan Acharya in Bhubaneswar. National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage, Hyderabad, a peripheral unit of CCRAS, will take the lead in the collaboration. There are plans to preserve more than 2, 000 palm, leaf manuscripts which contain priceless Ayurvedic knowledge by employing sophisticated digitisation methods, according to the research. In addition to that, the rare Ayurveda books and periodicals will be preserved as well.

Digitised copies will be provided to Berhampur University. Moreover, a catalogue titled ‘Descriptive Catalogue of Ayurveda Manuscripts of SOCSC-BU, Odisha’ will be prepared, featuring 44 distinct data fields for the benefit of researchers. The project is scheduled to be completed within two years.

Curtains fall on UTSAH fest

The valedictory ceremony of UTSAH2026, which is the 39th Inter, University East Zone Youth Festival by the Association of Indian Universities, was most enthusiastically held at Fakir Mohan University in Balasore on Saturday. The festival was a platform for the young people from eastern India to showcase their talents, creativity and cultural unity.

The event saw the Chancellor of Fakir Mohan University, Santosh Kumar Tripathy, speaking very highly of the students from the various institutions who, in his opinion, exhibited the perfect combination of unity, discipline and artistic excellence. He emphasized that youth festivals are one of the most influential tools for the promotion of cultural values, leadership qualities and national integration among the youngsters.

The chief guest, collector of Balasore Suryawanshi Mayur Vikash, in his address mentioned the role of cultural venues in bringing up socially responsible and imaginative citizens. Members Manish Jangra and Deepak Mishra, from the Association of Indian Universities, appreciated the top notch performances, the fair judging method and the good organization of the festival. UTSAH was attended by more than 700 students from 19 universities of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Victory for tribal youth

A team of students of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS), Hirli in Nabarangpur district, have become the runner up in the national Model Youth Gram Sabha competition which was held recently. The competition was played by a team of 10 students from the school and is an annual event organised by the ministries of panchayati raj, education and tribal affairs.

The initiative intends to develop leadership qualities in students by familiarizing them with the democratic processes at the village level. More than 28, 000 students from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) and EMRSs were involved this year in the simulated gram sabha and gram panchayat sessions..

In the EMRS category, EMRS Hirli won the second position, while EMRS Kosambuda in Chhattisgarh clinched the first place.

IIM-Sambalpur annual fest

ETHOS 2026, the three day annual fest of IIM Sambalpur, that ended recently, was a wonderful show of excellence, innovation and creativity.

The three, day event, inaugurated by its director, Mahadeo Jaiswal and entrepreneur and founder of Sattva Consulting Debranjan Pujahari, had engrossing business competitions, cultural displays and Utkrishtha, a mega intra, college sports tournament. More than 800 students participated in football, badminton, volleyball, chess, table tennis, and athletics. A friendly faculty, staff match was also there to strengthen the bond and add to the spirit of camaraderie.

Cultural performances brought energy and colour to the campus, with highlights including the ‘Styloholic’ fashion walk, dance and music events, stand-up comedy by Kumar Varun and a musical evening by Javed Ali and his band, followed by performances by Anurag Halder and DJ sets by DJ Partho and DJ Swattrex.

The valedictory ceremony honoured outstanding performers and acknowledged the collective efforts of students, faculty, partners and volunteers.

In a prominent ruling, the Allahabad High Court has opined firmly against the 'disconcerting' pattern of a large number of assistant teachers in Uttar Pradesh getting jobs on the basis of fake and fabricated certificates.

The High Court in a writ of mandamus has commanded the state government to investigate thoroughly in every district of the state.

The order was given by a single judge Justice Manju Rani Chauhan. The order was loaded today on the Court website. The court directed the Principal Secretary, Basic Education, to complete this task, if possible, within six months.

The court also directed that not only should the illegal appointments be cancelled, but the salaries paid to such teachers should also be recovered, and strict action be taken against the officials involved in the collusion.

The court observed that despite several circulars and directions issued by the state government, the officials responsible for maintaining transparency in the education system have failed to take effective and timely action against such illegal appointments.

The court further commented, “The inaction of the authorities not only encourages fraud but also strikes at the very roots of the education system, causing serious harm to the interests of the students, which is the most important and paramount consideration for this Court.”

The court was hearing a writ petition filed by Garima Singh. The petitioner had challenged the order of the BSA (Basic Shiksha Adhikari) Deoria, cancelling her appointment.

The BSA had passed this order against her after it was discovered that she had forged her educational documents and domicile certificate.

Petitioner claimed that she was appointed as an assistant teacher in July 2010, although the petitioner had served for almost 15 years without any complaint.

On Friday, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar signed a memorandum of agreement with the Indian Army to launch a Master of Technology (MTech) programme in defence technology.

The programme, mainly for officers of the Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S), is a collaboration between the institute and the Army to promote education and research in defence technology, IIT Ropar said in a statement.

According to the statement, the MTech (Defence Technology) programme has been developed in partnership by ACC&S and IIT Ropar to make academic training in line with military needs.

The focus of the curriculum will be on applied learning, hands- on research and innovation, driven problem solving so that the officers are well prepared for technology, and lead roles in the armed forces.

IIT Ropar Director Rajeev Ahuja highlighted the transformative potential of this partnership and stated that the collaboration represents a paradigm shift in how India approaches defence technology education.

"Combining the intellectual rigour of IIT Ropar and the Indian Army's operational excellence, we are forming a unique model that will generate defence technology leaders who can lead India to self- reliance in critical defence sectors. This is our contribution to Viksit Bharat 2047, " Ahuja said.

The officers will be given a degree from the institute once they have successfully completed the programme.

This credential will empower them to lead technology modernisation efforts in the armoured formations area and thus make a major contribution to indigenisation of defence manufacturing, a resultant effect of their competent technological leadership.

The memorandum of agreement introduces a wide framework for cooperative research and development undertaking, which aims at solving the major technological problems in the defence sector of India, IIT Ropar said in its press release.

Moreover, the partnership relates to several key areas of focus like joint research and development initiatives, next generation armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) technologies, advanced armament and new materials, besides the armoured platforms technologies.

First vocational training, greater industry involvement, performance, based funding, extending apprenticeships, and digitally enabled tracking systems are some of the measures that will support India's skilling ecosystem to satisfy the changing needs of the labour market and achieve the dream of Viksit Bharat by 2047, Economic Survey 2025, 26 has mentioned.

The survey notes that India's workforce size of more than 560 million is inherently a strength, but it is also very important to enhance its quality because the growth of the economy depends on the size as well as the capabilities of the labour force. It adds that “opportunities for vocational education at all levels are vital for strengthening the skill ecosystem and realising the Viksit Bharat’s vision.”

Flagging that only 0.97% of 14-18-year-olds have received institutional skilling, while nearly 92% have had none, the survey calls for embedding structured skilling pathways in secondary schools (Classes 9 to 12). It says early exposure to market-relevant skills can boost employability, reduce dropouts, and help convert India’s demographic advantage into productive human capital.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) offers skill and vocational education from Class 6 to Class 12, aiming to equip students with practical, industry-relevant skills. It offers short-duration (12-hour) skill modules through National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)’s ‘Kaushal Bodh’ books in Classes 6 to 8. Students can choose skill subjects as electives in secondary (9 to 10) and senior secondary (11 to 12) levels.

Highlighting persistent gaps between training and employability of youths, the survey says that “local skilling remains inadequately aligned with industry needs”, while “weak technical and vocational education and training (TVET) quality” and limited practical exposure often result in certified candidates failing to meet employer expectations.

The survey states that evaluation of skilling initiatives must move “beyond compliance-based metrics such as enrolments and certifications” and instead focus on “whether skilling programmes generate sustained labour-market value in terms of employability, earnings, and job retention.”

To address these challenges, the survey calls for a shift from supply-driven to industry-driven skilling with industry involvement in training, apprenticeships and assessments. The survey also lays strong emphasis on apprenticeships. Apprenticeships should be opened up to the new, age and gig economy sectors such as green manufacturing, logistics, and digital services to meet the evolving industry demands, the survey states together with its recommendations of unified governance of apprenticeship schemes, more outreach at the district level, and bigger incentives for MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) to increase their participation.

On the institutional front, the survey points out the changes that need to be made in order to bring Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) up to date such as smart classrooms, modern labs, digital content, and courses that are aligned with the industry. These measures aim to “reposition ITIs as modern, industry-integrated institutions that deliver high-quality, demand-driven vocational training.”

On financing, the survey proposes moving towards outcome-based funding models to encourage closer employer partnerships and counselling of trainees.

According to the survey, digital infrastructure is another critical enabler. The integration of Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), National Career Service (NCS) and the e-Shram portal (national database of unorganised workers) has created “a robust digital infrastructure that can be leveraged for real-time monitoring and assessment, linking training records with employment outcomes, employer demand, and individual skilling trajectories,” the survey explains. This will enable continuous tracking of trainees and support evidence-based policy decisions, it said.

The Economic Survey 2025, 26 review highlights a transition in education from input, based to "learning outcome" assessment framework that evaluates real competencies rather than simply years of schooling or course completion.

It states that, even though the enrolment in schools at all levels has increased, "learning outcomes are still very different among regions, social groups, and institutions, " which is a factor that lowers employability and productivity

In order to meet this challenge, the survey proposes that the National Achievement Survey (NAS), which tests the learning competencies of students in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10, be further empowered, and that "a PISA, like competency, based assessment at the end of Class 10" be introduced to compare the learning of students on a global scale.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), established by Paris, based Organisation for Economic Co, operation and Development (OECD), measures the proficiency of 15 year, olds in reading, mathematics, and science and their ability to apply these in real, life situations.

Moreover, the survey suggests "a NIRF, like ranking system for schools" along the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) as one of the ways to ensure transparency, accountability, and performance- driven improvement.

It is the objective of the learning outcome framework to establish measurable benchmarks for a range of skills that include literacy, numeracy, digital skills, problem solving, communication, and job, specific skills. The survey quotes that "assessment systems must change radically if they are to measure cognitive, technical and behavioural skills, " such as through the use of continuous evaluation, practical testing and workplace based assessments. Furthermore, it stresses the need for curriculum design to be aligned with industry standards in order to keep the education system relevant.

Children with neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders can benefit from the integration of Ayurveda, yoga, and modern therapies, a senior official from the All India Institute of Ayurveda, Goa, said on Saturday. The institute launched in November 2025 the PRAYAS centre, a first-of-its-kind facility, which uses a combination of the three pathways to provide coordinated rehabilitation services and improve the quality of affected children's lives, the official said. Since its launch, the integrated paediatric neuro-rehabilitation centre has benefited 574 patients through the dedicated neuro-muscular and neuro-behavioural OPD, and extended integrated care to 176 children through IPD services, the institute said.

"PRAYAS is a beacon of hope for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, integrating Ayurveda's holistic principles with multidisciplinary therapies to foster remarkable improvements in their quality of life. "We are determined to take this model to more families all over India by leveraging our institute's commitment to innovative and compassionate care, "

Dr Sujata Kadam, Dean (Academic and Administration) at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) Goa, stated.

A three, year, old boy with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy was treated at the PRAYAS centre. The mother of the child said, "Initially, my son couldn't even stand or walk by himself. After his treatment at PRAYAS, there has been a remarkable change and my child is now able to walk without any support."

Encouraging clinical outcomes have been observed in this case, Dr Rahul Ghuse, Assistant Professor, Department of Kaumarbhritya (Ayurved Pediatrics), AIIA Goa, said.

The institute is now looking towards tying up with special schools in the western coastal state to provide specialised services to children in community settings.

"We are looking forward to establishing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with special schools across Goa."By joining forces, we'll be able to bring our specialized services right to the doors of the less fortunate children. This way, integrative neuro, rehabilitation can be made available to the community members who need it the most, " Dr Ghuse elaborated.

The PRAYAS at AIIA Goa, has been functioning as a multidisciplinary facility, delivering integrated, child, centred care to children with conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention, deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), global developmental delay and other neuromuscular and neurobehavioral disorders.

The centre incorporates Ayurveda, based treatments with physiotherapy, yoga, speech therapy, occupational therapy and modern paediatric care, thus allowing for comprehensive assessment, individualised care planning, caregiver counselling and structured follow, up, Dr Ghuse added.

PRAYAS, through a well, defined, evidence, based integrative care pathway, is aiming at achieving functional changes that can be quantified as well as an improved quality of life for children with neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders. They are also backed by standardized documentation and outcome tracking, " the institute stated.

Underscoring the next phase of strengthening and scale-up, Dr Sumeet Goel, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Kaumarbhritya (Ayurved Paediatrics), AIIA Goa, said, "Our future efforts will focus on developing standardised treatment guidelines and generating evidence to support replication of the PRAYAS model at larger public health levels, enabling wider access to integrative paediatric neuro-rehabilitation services." The move towards integrative approaches is even getting a boost from the state level.

During a recent interaction with Ayush and wellness stakeholders in Panaji, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant of Goa pointed out the increasing capability of the state in the holistic wellness area and requested a set of rules that would help integrated wellness to be more robust. He also reiterated the vision of Goa to become a global hub for wellness and medical value travel.

The National Health Policy 2017 aims at an integrative, preventive, promotive and rehabilitative healthcare system. It also emphasizes the continuity of care through strengthened service delivery, which this initiative is in line with.

Globally, such service models resonate with international frameworks that emphasise people-centred integration of safe and effective traditional medicine into health systems, including focus on clinical practice guidelines, workforce development and standardised data systems, Dr Ghuse said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget 2026 has a five-pronged approach for the growth of the textile sector of the country. One key element of the proposed budget is placing design education and creative skills at the centre of the government’s education and employment strategy, outlining measures to align learning with jobs, enterprise and services-led growth.

“The Indian design industry is expanding rapidly, and yet there is a shortage of Indian designers. I propose to establish, through a challenge route, a new National Institute of Design (NID) to boost design education and development in the eastern region of India,” the finance minister said.

Samarth 2.0, one of the proposed measures, will modernise and upgrade the textile skilling ecosystem through collaboration with industry and academic institutions. 

“ It is a welcome announcement because when I was trying to apply to fashion institutes from Assam, the entrance exams clashed with state board exams. Now we have an NID in my hometown, Jorhat and the National Institute of Fashion Technology in Shillong. Study of Muga silk is also introduced in the syllabus, which is a good push,” said Sushmita Choudhury, a fashion designer and former student of the International Institute of Fashion Design, Hyderabad.

7 NIDs and 16 NIFTs

The NID is a group of autonomous public design institutes in India, the first of which was established in 1961 in Ahmedabad. Currently, there are seven NIDs in India and 16 NIFTs that focus on textile designing.

The latest NID was set up in Jorhat in 2019, while NIFT Srinagar was the last one to be set up in 2016.

“An increasing number of institutes can also dilute the quality of education, because they need highly trained faculty and well-equipped design labs,” said stylist Neha Sinha, a former student of NIFT, Chennai.

The Indian fashion design industry had a market value of approximately ₹15.1 lakh crore in 2023 and is expected to reach around Rs 45.3 lakh crore by 2032.

Indian luxury labels are also transitioning from niche offerings to becoming established institutions.

A majority of Indian consumers now prefer shopping from homegrown and small businesses, as per a 2025 report. The survey, conducted with YouGov across 18 states with 5,000 respondents, found that  58 per cent of Indians choose local brands.

“ While new institutes are being set up, the curriculum needs to change because students are not taught how to set up a brand, or even taught about GST. They are taught to make a cost sheet, but not how to price the final garment. That’s why students end up working for other designers, instead of learning how to set up their label,” said Choudhury.

VIT Bhopal University in partnership with Johns Hopkins University (JHU), USA, is calling for registrations for Health Hack 2026: Improving Health Access for All. An international hackathon, Health Hack 2026, has a plan set for February 10, 12, 2026. The project aims at encouraging practical, tech, driven healthcare access solutions with a focus on rural and ignored areas. Health Hack 2026 launch is the direct result of the successful influence of Health Hack 2025 last February. Bringing together a diverse mix of participants, including researchers, clinicians, technologists, and students, the event effectively solved real, world healthcare problems through data, driven and AI enabled solutions.

Under the guidance of VIT Bhopal management team, including Hon'ble Chancellor Dr. G. Viswanathan, Vice President Mr. Sankar Viswanathan, Assistant Vice President Ms. Kadhambari S. Viswanathan, and Trustee Ms. Ramani Balasundaram, the program comprise keynote addresses, technical sessions, workshops, and problem, solving competitive tracks that led to a number of novel healthcare prototypes. The success stories solidified VIT Bhopal's position as a leading center for healthcare research and strong partnership between industry and academia. The 2026 edition builds on this impact made possible through collaborative research-led efforts.

After securing participation from such top, name institutions as IITs, NITs, IIITs, government medical colleges and even international universities in the last edition, Health Hack 2026 intends to extend its reach significantly by allowing data scientists, engineers, healthcare professionals, innovators and students from both India and abroad to come on board.

In teams cross, disciplinary and comprising up to six members, the participants will find the following areas as their main points of focus: telemedicine as a tool for health equity, predictive analytics as a means of preventing illness, AI, powered management of chronic diseases, accessibility of mental health services, and the health, tech sector in general.

Waiting to be more than just another hackathon, Health Hack 2026 will put heavy stress on the development of scaled, up real, world prototypes. Participants will be provided not only with high quality datasets, but also APIs and guidance through mentors coming from industry and research partners, such as Intelehealth and the Gupta, Klinsky India Institute.

Throughout the series of advanced events hosted on VIT Bhopal's over 300, acre campus, one of the most cutting, edge facilities in the country, attendees will be encouraged to come up with solutions ranging from early diagnosis of diseases, tailored medication, safe management of health records, and implementation of AI, in, ethics frameworks to a direct and conscious consideration of people living in a situation of exclusion from healthcare.

They will get the chance to work together in a hands, on interdisciplinary collaboration setting. Besides that, they can also enhance their AI and data analytics skills, deepen their knowledge of healthcare engineering, and expand their network with world experts from VIT Bhopal and JHUs Whiting School of Engineering, a school that houses the world's top ranked biomedical engineering program.

Winning teams will be rewarded with cash prizes of 1, 00, 000, 50, 000, and 25, 000 for first, second, and third places, respectively. Besides, they will be given a chance to work with mentors to take their ideas to the next level. Above all, the hackathon is a brilliant way of giving back to society by coming up with solutions that make a positive social impact.

Registration and Key Dates

Final Phase: 1012 February 2026, VIT Bhopal

For more details, visit: https://vitbhopal.ac.in/health-hackathon/; or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About VIT Bhopal University:

VIT Bhopal University, a multidisciplinary university located in Madhya Pradesh, was established in 2017 and is part of the legacy of the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) group of institutions. The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes in engineering, management, sciences, and allied disciplines on a 300 acre green campus.

The campus houses a 100 percent doctoral faculty, and the university runs the CALTECH initiative, a unique technological approach to the teaching, learning process that combines industry practices, research exposure, and experiential learning. Through the STARS programme (Support the Advancement of Rural Students), VIT Bhopal is also offering completely free education, lodging and boarding to meritorious students from rural backgrounds.

Strong industry collaborations and an emphasis on outcome based education are hallmarks of the university which makes it a great place to prepare future, ready graduates for the rapidly changing world.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday placed design education and creative skills at the centre of the government’s education and employment strategy while presenting her ninth consecutive Union Budget for 2026–27, outlining measures aimed at aligning learning with jobs, enterprise and services-led growth.

“The Indian design industry is expanding rapidly and yet there is a shortage of Indian designers. I propose to establish, through a challenge route, a new National Institute of Design to boost design education and development in the eastern region of India,” the Finance Minister said.

A key education proposal in the Budget is the establishment of a new National Institute of Design through the challenge route to strengthen design education and development in the eastern region of India.

The design push is coupled with a wider emphasis on the creative economy. To augment India's animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector, Content Creator Labs are to be established in 15, 000 secondary schools and 500 colleges, with the sector forecast to need two million professionals by 2030.

Stakeholder Reactions

Sanjay Gupta, Vice Chancellor, World University of Design, said, The Budgets strong push towards the creative and design economy is a welcome step for Indias youth. I have been advocating for this. By expanding AVGC and content creation labs across schools and colleges, the government is opening doors to future, ready careers within the growing creative economy. The proposal to strengthen design education addresses a long, standing talent gap. Together, these measures will nurture creativity, generate meaningful employment, and position India as a global hub for design, content, and innovation."

Adding to the reaction over the design education push in Budget 2026, Yajulu Medury, Vice Chancellor, Mahindra University, said, The Union Budget 2026, 27 is a remarkable move to position India as a global knowledge hub. Through the Yuva Shakti initiative, emphasis has been put on the governments efforts to ma k e education more relevant by connecting it with real, world careers, thus facilitating the transition to a knowledge, driven economy.

Higher Education Infrastructure

In higher education, the Budget proposed multiple investments, including new institutes, university townships, girls’ hostels and telescope infrastructure facilities. The Centre will support States through the challenge route to create five university townships near major industrial and logistics corridors. These academic zones will host universities, colleges, research institutions, skill centres and residential complexes.

Vinayak V. Bhosale, Trustee, Sanjay Ghodawat University, added, “For this vision to truly deliver, industry must be brought into curriculum design and incentivised to offer apprenticeships, joint research, and pathways for collaborative patents and spin-offs. With this kind of structured partnership, these townships can become powerful engines of both innovation and employability, redefining the educational landscape instead of just adding more buildings”

To improve access for women students, particularly in Stem institutions, the government announced that one girls’ hostel will be established in every district through viability gap funding or capital support. 

To promote astrophysics and astronomy education, four telescope infrastructure facilities, the National Large Solar Telescope, the National Large Optical-infrared Telescope, the Himalayan Chandra Telescope and the COSMOS-2 Planetarium, will be set up or upgraded. The Budget also reduced tax collected at source under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) for education and medical remittances from 5 per cent to 2 per cent.

The Union Budget has proposed an investment of Rs 10, 000 crore in the biopharmaceutical sector of India over the next five years, which is a clear policy move to strengthen the domestic capabilities in advanced medicines and high, value pharmaceutical manufacturing. The announcement thus makes biopharma one of the key strategic pillars of India's long, term healthcare and industrial growth roadmap.

Biopharmaceuticals, also known as biologics, are very complicated medicines which are either extracted or derived from living organisms, cells, or tissues, and that have not been chemically synthesized in the traditional way, by a chemist. The list of such medicines covers vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, gene therapies, and cancer, autoimmune disorders, and rare diseases treatments with advanced biologics. At the global level, biologics are one of the fastest growing segments in the pharmaceutical market and thus the $10 billion investment of India is meant to bridge the gap in research, manufacturing and innovation amongst others.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman indicated that the biopharma plan would be a part of the wider set of interventions covering six major focus areas, such as manufacturing, strategic and frontier sectors, healthcare, and advanced technology. The grant is aimed at facilitating the development of infrastructure, technology upgrades, and innovation ecosystems, thus enabling Indian enterprises to shift from the production of generic drugs to complex biologics.

Alongside this, the budget equally emphasised the government's semiconductor self reliance drive. Sitharaman declared that Semiconductor Mission 2.0 "will give priority to the production of equipment and materials based on full, stack Indian intellectual property". India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) is an autonomous non profit unit under the Digital India Corporation operating in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Its mandate is to enable the establishment of a semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in India. The decision to keep integrating biopharma and semiconductor initiatives further demonstrates the ambition to strengthen the deep, tech, and manufacturing base of India.

Meanwhile, the finance minister also announced that the governments of resource rich states like Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will be facilitated to establish critical mineral infrastructure. These minerals are going to be required in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, electronic, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing which the government is focusing on for a resilient supply chain development.

Reiterating the government’s development philosophy, Sitharaman said the initiatives align with the principle of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,” which she described as the government’s third Kartavya. Experts believe that if effectively implemented, the biopharma investment could boost innovation, generate skilled employment, and strengthen India’s position as a global healthcare and life sciences hub.

A group of bioengineers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have invented new intelligent systems, BrainProt and DrugProtAI, that integrate the information of scattered brain diseases to assist researchers in locating markers, analyzing treatments, and finding druggable targets. BrainProt v3.0 is a database that collects different types of biological information, from genes to proteins, and merges them in a single platform to allow getting insights into human brain activity in both the normal and pathological situations. The system is the first to combine the data of multiple diseases from genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and biomarker research, as well as multi, database information into a single portal.

“BrainProt also includes resources to identify and understand protein expression differences between the left and right hemispheres of the human brain across 20 neuroanatomical regions. This is the first resource of its kind,” said Prof. Sanjeeva Srivastava from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay.

BrainProt includes data on 56 human brain diseases and 52 multi-omics datasets derived from more than 1,800 patient samples. These datasets include transcriptomic data for 11 diseases and proteomic data for six diseases.

For each disease, users can examine genes and proteins frequently associated with the disease, assess how strongly these genes and proteins are already supported by existing medical and scientific databases, and how their activity levels change in patient samples.

DrugProtAI was developed to understand whether a protein can be druggable (has the biological and physical characteristics needed to be a useful drug target) before doing costly experiments.

This is crucial because only about 10 per cent of human proteins currently have an FDA-approved drug, with another 3-4 per cent under investigation.

“Before investing years of work in a protein target, DrugProtAI predicts whether the protein is druggable by looking beyond the protein's sequence, such as cellular location, structural attributes, and other unique characteristics it has,” said Dr. Ankit Halder, co-author of the study.

The tool generates a “druggability index” -- a probability score indicating how likely a protein is to be druggable. A higher score suggests that the protein shares many properties with proteins that already have approved drugs, while a lower score indicates that drug development would be more challenging.

“By integrating DrugProtAI directly into BrainProt, we created a pipeline where researchers can move from identifying a disease marker to examining its expression patterns to evaluating its druggability and exploring existing compounds or clinical trials, all within an hour,” Halder said.

Wish to solve crimes like in web series? Forensic science transforms science into justice whereby evidence such as DNA and prints are used to solve cases. This is a promising sector with stable careers in police laboratories, CBI, and cybercrime departments, ideal to science students after Class 12.

What is Forensic Science?

Forensic science uses biology, chemistry, physics and technology to study crimes. Scientists examine blood, computer data, ballistics, and papers to assist the courts. It has crime scene work, lab testing and courtroom testimony in India. DNA forensics, toxicology, cyber forensics, and question documents are some of the specialties that are in high demand because of the increasing crimes and the need for proof in courts.

Demand and Scope in India

The demand of forensic science increases rapidly alongside the number of crimes, cyber frauds and new laboratories. The government establishes district forensic centres, establishing positions in CBI, IB, state FSLs and police. Cybersecurity and corporate fraud experts are required in private firms.

Career Opportunities and Average Salary

1. Forensic scientist

National average salary: ₹13,41,000 per year

2. 11. Forensic specialist

National average salary: ₹14,80,000 per year

3. Pathologist

National average salary: ₹48,000 per month

4. Private investigator

National average salary: ₹2,69,000 per year

5. Criminal lawyer

National average salary: ₹ 3,91,000 per year

6. Forensic analyst

National average salary: ₹ 6,56,000 per year

7. Police officer

National average salary: ₹ 4,29,000 per year

8. Forensic science professor

National average salary: ₹ 2,40,000 per year

9. Forensics manager

National average salary: ₹8,50,000 per year

10. Forensic science technician

National average salary: ₹ 2,43,000 per year

11. Cyber Forensic Expert

National average salary: 3,45,000 per year

12. DNA Specialist

National average salary: 80,000 per month

13. Forensic Toxicologist

National average salary: 17, 55,000 per year

India currently has a shortage of 10,000+ professionals, which guarantees employment. In foreign countries, the wages amount to 2-5 lakh/month.

Salary Expectations

Freshers earn ₹25,000-₹40,000/month (₹3-5 LPA). It increases to 40,000-70,000/month (5-8 LPA) with 2-5 years experience. Government/private seniors hit ₹80,000- 1.2 lakh+/month ( 10-15+ LPA). 

Step-by-Step Career Path

Here are simple steps to follow to build a career in Forensic Science : 

• Complete schooling in Science stream (PCB/PCM) with 50-60% minimum marks
• Do some research about the field 
• Understand different job roles, significance, future scope and salary range
• Choose the right entrance test after 12th
• Take the entrance test and be eligible for admission
• Pick the university as per your requirements
• Learn skills, participate in conferences and workshops 
• Make complete use of your college life

forensic science

• UG: BSc Forensic science (3 years), BSc Hons (4 years).
• PG: MSc Forensic Science (2 years)
• Diploma/Certificates: To enter fast (6-12 months)
• Specialised courses: Cyber forensics, criminology, and cyber security. 

Best Entrance Exams in Forensic Sciences.

These national/state tests are mandatory in most top colleges in India. Candidates interested in forensic science courses must choose one of the following exams or two for backup: 

Eligibility: 50% in Class12 Science. Exams held May-July annually.

Top Colleges in Forensic Science

• NFSU Gujarat (top-ranked)
• Amity University
• LPU Punjab
• GGSIPU Delhi
• Osmania University
• Gujarat Forensic Sciences University.

Fees: ₹1-2 lakh/year for BSc.

Candidates must note that field work means working long hours and dealing with emotional cases that might leave you traumatised. Keep up with technology such as AI forensics, network through internships in state FSLs, and ensure to keep your head straight because your career depends on your skills. 

Forensic science is a purpose-driven profession that has an increasing demand. Choose CUET/AIFSET, enter one of the best colleges, and be an expert helping the society solve mysteries, and earn a good package to live happily. 

Agriculture is no longer confined to traditional farming. In today's India it is a modern, science-driven and technology-aided field with diverse career opportunities. With increasing importance being given to food security, sustainability, agribusiness and agri-technology, today, many students are also seriously looking for agriculture courses after 12th as a career option.

If you are a student who has completed your Class 12 and are looking for a steady, respected, and future-ready career, then this guide will help you know the full list of agriculture courses after 12th, entrance exam, eligibility, career scope, and salary.

Why Pursue Agriculture Courses After 12th? 

India is an agriculture driven country, and agriculture remains one of the biggest contributors to employment. However, today's agriculture in the modern world is very different from that of the previous decade. It now includes scientific research, technology, data analysis, management, exports and environment planning; not everyone can be an agripreneur, farmer, researcher, or 

Students opting for agriculture courses after 12th can pursue their career in government jobs, private businesses and research institutions, startups or even entrepreneurship. With more and more demand for a skilled professional, agriculture has become a stable and fruitful domain for students who have a science background.

Admission Eligibility For Agriculture Courses After 12th

Most of the processes after 12th in agriculture require students to have completed their schooling with Science stream especially subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

General eligibility criteria include:

• Passing of Class 12 from a recognised board
• Science stream with PCB or PCMB (varies with course)
• Minimum aggregate marks required by the institute
• Some universities and colleges conduct entrance exams while some provide admission on merit basis.

Complete List of Agriculture Courses after 12th (Degree, Diploma & Certificate)

Below is a detailed and updated list of popular agriculture courses after 12th which students can opt for from the field of agriculture in India.

Bachelor Degree Agriculture Course After 12th

Bachelor's degree programmes are the most preferred agriculture courses after 12th for students who are looking at long term career growth.

Bachelors of Science (BSc) Agriculture

This is most popular and widely recognised after 12th agriculture course. It focuses on crop production, soil science, plant breeding, agriculture economics and farm management.

BSc Horticulture

This course covers fruits, vegetables, flowers, plantation crops and landscaping. It is ideal for those who are interested in high-value crop production.

BSc Forestry

BSc Forestry is focused on forest management, conservation, wildlife protection and environmental sustainability.

BSc Fisheries Science

This course is related to fish farming, aquaculture, marine biology and fishery management.

BSc in Agriculture Biotechnology

This programme integrates agriculture with biotechnology and emphasizes on genetics, plant tissue culture and crop improvement.

B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) Agricultural Engineering

This course includes focus on farm machinery, irrigation systems, renewable energy and post-harvest technology.

Diploma Courses in Agriculture After 12th

Diploma programmes are short-term, skill-oriented programmes in agriculture following the 12th and are good for those students who wish for early employment.

Diploma in Agriculture

Includes information on basic agricultural practices, crop production, soil management and farm operations.

Diploma in Horticulture

Focuses on nursery management, fruit production, floriculture and vegetable production.

Diploma in Organic Farming

Teaches organic crop production, sustainable agriculture and natural farming techniques.

Diploma in Seed Technology

Includes seed production, quality control, testing and certification.

Certificate Agriculture Courses After 12Th

Certificate courses are short duration programmes on specific skills in the field of agriculture.

Certificate in Organic Agriculture

Ideal for students who are interested in sustainable farming without chemicals.

Certificate Course in Dairy Farming

Focuses on milk production, cattle management and dairy business

Certificate in Agri Business Management

Introduces students to the fundamentals of agricultural marketing, supply chain and agribusiness.

Entrance Exams for Agriculture Course After 12th

Admission to the agriculture courses after 12th may require entrance exams to be given depending on the institute.

Some of the most common routes to admission are:

• Agriculture entrance examinations at state level
• Entrance tests specific to the universities
• National level examinations for selective institutions

However, in many private colleges and diploma institutes, direct admission is given based on marks obtained in Class 12. However, students seeking faster, easy and assured admission in top universities should consider the AIACAT entrance test, also called All India Agriculture Common Aptitude Test. 

List of Agriculture Entrance Tests

Career Scope After Agriculture Courses After 12th

The scope of career after pursuing agriculture courses after the 12th is wide and constantly growing. Graduates can work as:

• Agricultural Officers
• Farm Managers
• Horticulturists
• Soil Scientists
• Agricultural Consultants
• Quality Control Officers
• Agri-Sales and Marketing Managers
• Research Assistants

Students can also opt for higher education such as MSc Agriculture, MBA in Agribusiness or prepare for government exams.

Salary After agriculture courses After 12th

Salary after agriculture courses after 12th is different on the basis of qualification, role and sector:

1. Entry level salaries range generally between the Rs.20,000 to Rs.40,000 a month
2. With experience professionals can get paid between Rs 6 - 10 LPA or more
3. Government jobs offer steady pay with allowances and long term benefits.
4. Entrepreneurial ventures and agribusiness startups can provide a lot more income in the long run.

Government Jobs After Agriculture Course After 12th

Agriculture graduates can join the various government positions in:

• State Departments of Agriculture
• Research institutions
• Public sector undertakings
• Rural development agencies

These roles provide job security, respect, and career progression.

Is Agriculture a Good Career Choice After 12th?

Yes, agriculture is a very good option and future-oriented career choice after class 12, particularly in India. With the growing emphasis on food production, sustainability, climate-resilient farming and agri-technology, the need for trained professionals is growing year after year. Students who have interests in science, environment and the building of the nation will find agriculture courses after class 12th both meaningful and rewarding.

Choosing from the various agriculture courses after 12th may seem overwhelming, the trick is to match your interest with the right specialisation. Whether you are considering a degree, diploma or certificate course, there are a variety of careers available in agriculture and they are stable careers with long-term growth potential.

With the right education and skills, agriculture can start to be more than a mere profession and can be a great contribution to the future of India. So, take the right entrance test (perhaps AIACAT because it's 100% online) and pursue your desired career path in Agriculture Sector from the top university. 

Note: Give us a call on  for more information or free career counselling. 

Want to study law in the top colleges in India with your AICLET score? You're at the right place! These private top law schools in India  that accept AICLET scores, provide BA LLB, BBA LLB, and LLM courses along with better opportunities and exposure. With better faculty, good campus, and great job opportunities, these colleges make you prepared for court or office jobs. Here is the list of top law colleges in India accepting AICLET scores for easy admission.

Top Private Law Schools in India

1. A.P G. Shimla University, Himachal Pradesh
2. Dayananda Sagar University, Bangalore
3. IEC University, Himachal Pradesh
4. Silver Oak University 
5. Starex University, Gurugram, Haryana
6. Geeta University, Haryana
7. Mody University, Rajasthan
8. Apex University, Rajasthan
9. Mangalayatan University, Aligarh
10. Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur Rajasthan
11. Usha Martin College, Ranchi
12. MATS University,Raipur
13. Sanskriti University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
14. Rayat Bahra University, Punjab
15. Bahra University, Himachal Pradesh
16. Vikrant University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
17. Saraswati Group Of Colleges Mohali, Punjab
18. Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat
19. Gokul Global University, Siddhpur, Gujarat
20. Swarrnim Startup & Innovation University, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat
21. Sage University, Indore
22. Jaipur National University, Rajasthan
23. Invertis University, Bareilly,Uttar Pradesh
24. Om Sterling Global University, Haryana
25. Lovely Professional University Phagwara, Punjab
26. Rai University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
27. Amity University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
28. Amity University, Jaipur, Rajasthan
29. Amity University, Mumbai
30. Amity University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
31. Amity University, Bangalore, Karnataka
32. Amity University, Raipur, Chattisgarh
33. Amity University, Gurgaon (Manesar)
34. RIMT University, Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab
35. Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana Ambala, Haryana
36. Sandip University, Nashik, Maharashtra
37. Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
38. Bennett University Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
39. MGM Group Of Institutions Patna ,Bihar
40. Chandigarh University Mohali, Punjab
41. Chandigarh University, Lucknow
42. Sandip University, Madhubani, Bihar
43. Chandigarh Group Of College Jhanjeri,Mohali
44. Shri Khushal Das University, Hanumangarh(Raj.)
45. Chanakya University, Bengaluru
46. Sage University, Bhopal
47. Centurion University Bhubaneswar, Odisha
48. IILM University University , Gurugrams Haryana
49. IILM University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
50. Shoolini University, Bajhol, Himachal Pradesh
51. Manav Rachna University, Faridabad, Haryana
52. Ajeenkya Dy Patil University, Pune
53. Om Sterling Global University, Hisar, Haryana
54. Vijaybhoomi University, Greater Mumbai
55. Vishwakarma University, Pune, Maharashtra
56. Sai University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
57. Apeejay Satya University, Gurgaon, Haryana
58. JECRC University, Jaipur, Rajasthan
59. JECRC University, Jaipur, Rajasthan
60. JECRC University, Jaipur, Rajasthan
61. JECRC University, Jaipur, Rajasthan
62. Alliance University, Bangalore
63. TS Mishra University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
64. Sushant University, Gurgaon, Haryana
65. The Neotia University, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal
66. Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur Rajasthan
67. Swami Vivekananda University, Kolkata
68. University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya

Choose from the above top law colleges that are accepting AICLET scores to begin your law education perfectly. These colleges have low fees, big campuses, and job assistance. Check cutoffs, visit colleges, and apply now, seats fill up fast! Prepare for AICLET and enter the top law school in India. 

Not sure if this information is sufficient for you to decide? Connect with us for more information or free consultation at 08071296498. 

FAQs

1. What is the AICLET exam?

AICLET, also known as the All India Common Law Entrance Test, is a simple entrance exam for law courses such as BA LLB, LLM and more. It tests your English, GK, logic, and legal aptitude. Students can appear for the exam from anywhere using their phone, laptop or PC. This makes it India’s one of the best entrance exams for law admissions in 2026 for students who are seeking quality education and not the tag of government law school graduate. 

2. Which are the top law colleges in South India accepting AICLET?

The top ones include Christ University, Alliance School of Law, and Dayanand Sagar University. These colleges accept AICLET scores and provide good job placement in law firms.

3. Is AICLET an easy entrance test?

Yes, AICLET is an easy entrance test for hassle-free admission. 

4. Can I get admission in law college with a low AICLET score?

Yes, some colleges have management quotas. But try to get admission in merit seats to save money. Also, AICLET offers three attempts giving you a second chance  to score well. 

5. Do these colleges provide job assistance after completing a law course?

Yes! Most of these colleges have 70-90% job placement rates.

Want to cover the news about NEP 2025, CUET controversies or IIT admissions? Education journalism requires writers who understand exams, policies, and student issues. This guide covers step by step path, top courses, and best entrance exams for education journalism after 12th.

What Is Education Journalism?

Education journalism is  exactly like journalism but it’s only focused on education. It covers all aspects of education and related entities like schools, colleges, entrance exams (JEE, NEET, CUET & all the other exams), scholarships, and policies like India's National Education Policy. Reporters work for The Times of India, Hindustan Times or portals such as Edinbox.com, Shiksha.com., College Dekho, College Duniya, PW, etc. The demand for education journalists   is high with a rising population and mushrooming educational institutes.

Key skills required to be an educational journalist include fact-checking exam data, interviewing principals, breaking down policy jargon for students.

Eligibility for a Beginning Education Journalism Career

• After 12th: 50% marks (Any stream) for BA Journalism/Mass Comm (BAJMC).
• Age: 17+ years.
• Skills: Good English/Hindi, Interest in education news.
• No prior experience is required - internships are course-based.

Step-by-Step: How to Become an Education Journalist

Follow this roadmap to become an education reporter in 3 years:

• Choose BAJMC or BJMC (3 years) - Focus on reporting, editing, media ethics.
• Clear Entrance Exam - Merit or test based admission.
• Build Portfolio - Cover campus events, write for college media.
• Intern at News Sites - The Hindu Education, Indian Express.
• Specialise - PG Diploma in Investigative Journalism.
• Land Jobs - Starting from ₹4-6 LPA (freshers), ₹12+ LPA (5 years).

Best Entrance Exams for Education Journalism Courses

CUET UG is the best for the beginners - National level, Accepted by 250+ universities like DU, BHU, JNU for BAJMC. Covers GK, English, current affairs (perfect for education beat). Exam: May 2026, apply before Jan ends.

Pro Tip: CUET scores work for 80% of top colleges but GMCET is the most convenient entrance exam for admission into top media colleges. Take both tests and choose the right college. Prep with NCERT + newspapers.

Top Colleges for Education Journalism in India

• National School of Journalism and Public Discourse (NSOJ)
• NRAI School of Mass Communication
• JECRC University
• Mumbai Educational Trust 
• GNA University,Phagwara
• Ajeenkya DY Patil University 
• The NorthCap University
• Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand University
• School Of Broadcasting And Communication
• Auro University
• Alliance University Anekal
• PCTE Group Of Institutions
• Mody University
• Renaissance University
• APG Shimla ,Himachal Pradesh
• Amity University 
• Bennett University
• Chandigarh University
• Uttaranchal  University
• MGM Group Of Institutions

How to Prepare for the Best Journalism Entrance Exam?

1. Syllabus: English (20%), GK/Education News (30%), Reasoning (20%), Media Aptitude (30%).
2. Books: "Journalism Basics" by Keval J. Kumar, The editorials of The Hindu.
3. Mock Tests: NTA site, 1 month daily practise.
4. Success Rate: 10-15% selection - concentrate on current education news such as CUET 2026 changes

Is this Field a Good Pick in 2026? 

Yes, this field is a good pick because of the growing education sector. Aspirants of education journalism have a bright future ahead with the vacancy for expert, talented and truth-oriented field as well as desk journalists are increasing. Top media agencies like TOI, Hindustan times and more are seeking fresh talents especially genZ who understand the needs and discrepancies surrounding the education field. Thus,  this field is a good pick if you are interested in journalism but don’t wish to get involved in global news or political news. 

So, start by taking the right entrance test. Connect with us for free career consultation or more information at 08035018499.

Planning to do an MBA or PGDM from a private Indian University? While government schools have brand prestige, private MBA colleges teach you what the employers actually demand in the 21st century. Here are five reasons why clever students prefer private management colleges, and some important management entrance exams like CAT/GMCAT for 2026 admissions.

1. Real Corporate Placements, Not Just Promises  

Private MBA programmes are in partnership with companies such as Deloitte, KPMG, HDFC Bank and Amazon. They arrange campus recruitment drives from the campuses, live projects and pre-placement offers. Most students get paid internships from Year 1 which is something rare in government colleges. Packages from top private B - schools vary from 6-12 LPA and high performers can secure 18-25 LPA. Employers value graduates who are industry ready over those who have just studied in theory.

2. Fresh Curriculum That Aligns With the 2026 Job Market  

Private universities update their syllabi of MBA courses every year considering corporate inputs. You'll learn digital marketing, fintech, business analytics and AI for managers: these are skills that are in high demand today. Their course work involves actual Harvard case studies, ERP simulations and company projects, not out-of-date textbooks. In contrast, government colleges tend to teach outdated theories whereas the private b-schools prepare you for the Day 1 corporate jobs.

3. Choose Your Dream Specialisation+Get Global Exposure  

More than 20 MBA specialisations are available including Business Analytics, Fintech, Healthcare Management, Product Management, International Business, Rural Marketing etc. Pick the track according to your career vision. Many private universities also have semester abroad programs with partner universities in the USA, UK and Singapore, which can give you an international exposure that cannot be provided by government colleges.

4. Startup Incubators + Real Entrepreneurship Training  

If you want to be your own boss, private B-schools have incubation centres that offer seed funding (up to 5-25 lakhs), CEO guidance, pitch competitions with investors and legal and funding support. Build a startup with your MBA coursework not just do theory. Government colleges generally focus on placements rather than entrepreneurship.

5. Personal Guidance within Small Batches  

Batch sizes in private schools are 40-60 students as compared to 200-500 in government colleges. Professors know you personally, help you with your summer project and can write great LinkedIn recommendation letters. This results in focused career counselling and jobs matching your skills - instead of a generic placement process.

Top 5 Management Entrance Exams 2026  

1. CAT (Common Admission Test) - 29, November 2026 - 1,100+ Private Colleges & all IIMs  
2. GMCAT (Global Management Common Aptitude Test)- Once every month; 100+ Partner universities. 
3. CMAT (Common Management Admission Test) - From May 2026 - 1,400+ AICTE approved colleges  
4. MAT (Management Aptitude Test) - February / May / June / September 2026 - 650+ B Schools, easy to back-up  
5. NMAT (NMIMS Management Aptitude Test) - October - December 2026 - NMIMS and 25+ top colleges, retake allowed  

Smart Strategy: Taking both CAT and GMCAT covers around 90% of the best private universities. Use GMCAT 2026 as a safety net because it’s one of the easiest  and convenient ways of gaining admission into top management universities. 

Why GMCAT? 

The Global Management Common Aptitude Test (GMCAT) is a 100% online exam for MBA, PGDM, and management admissions in India. It is designed to test management aptitude, analytical skills, leadership, and decision-making in one simple test – no need for multiple entrance exams.

Key Benefits:

• 100% Online
• No Negative Marking
• Three attempts allowed 
• Offers free consultation (before exam)
• Single exam for UG/PG management programs
• 100+ top management colleges accepting GMCAT scores

Top Management colleges in India 

• Vivekananda Global University
• Lovely Professional University
• IILM Academy of Higher Learning
• Chandigarh University 
• Centurion University 
• Ganpat University
• Invertis University
• APG Shimla University
• Sanskriti University
• Apex University
• CEOA College of Arts & Sciences
• Parul University
• Rai University
• Jaipur National University
• Maya Devi University
• Dayanand Sagar University
• B.N. College Of Engineering And Technology
• Mary Matha College of Arts & Science
• Cambridge Institute of Management Studies
• AI Universal University
• Bennett University 
• Rai Technology University
• MGM Group of Institutions 
• Sandip University
• Chandigarh group of College
• Shri Khushal Das University

Best Choice for Your Management Career  

If your goal is real corporate exposure with modern skillsets and 8-15 LPA offered immediately after your graduation, private management colleges are a great pick. Additionally, best private MBA colleges 2026 are ideal for higher studies and international jobs. They suit students who are really out to build a career in management in 2026, and have realised that companies require people with skills, not just a prestigious label.

Start CAT 2026 and GMCAT 2026 preparation today because your management career starts with the right choice of entrance exam. Connect with us via call  @8071296497 for free consultation and more details. 

Future lawyers aiming for CLAT 2027, AILET 2027, AICLET or SLAT require a proper roadmap. This guide is for all upcoming law entrance exams after 12th and graduation with exact date, easy eligibility, exam pattern, and smart preparation timeline for 2026-27 admissions. 

Start with CLAT 2027 and AILET 2027  

CLAT 2027 is conducted on Sunday, 6th December 2026. Conducted by Consortium of NLUs, it provides entry to 26 NLUs, such as NLSIU Bangalore (NIRF Rank 1), NALSAR Hyderabad (Rank 3) and NUJS Kolkata (Rank 4). The exam consists of 120 multiple choice questions in 2 hours. The topics are English Language, Current Affairs & GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Minimum eligibility is 45% in Class 12 (40% in case of SC/ST) and 1+1 for a correct answer and -0.25 for a wrong answer. Application forms typically open on consortiumofnlus.ac.in in August.

Exactly one week later AILET 2027 on 13th December 2026 for admission to NLU Delhi (NIRF Rank 2). It has 150 questions and is highly weighted in Logical Reasoning (70 marks), English (50 marks), and Current Affairs (30 marks). The eligibility rules are similar to CLAT. The two exams have around 80 percent overlap in their syllabus and hence, combined preparation is the most efficient way to go.

Safety Options: SLAT, MH CET Law  

Students who do not get CLAT cutoffs have good backups. SLAT 2027 (Symbiosis Law Admission Test) will be conducted in December 2026 in 2 time slots. The computer based test lasts for 60 minutes, 60 questions, no negative marking and gives admission to Symbiosis Law Schools in Pune, Noida, Hyderabad and Nagpur.

MH CET Law 2026 is conducted in the month of April with more than 10,000 seats in the government, aided and private law colleges in Maharashtra. It's available in English and Marathi. The 5 year LLB pattern consists of Legal Reasoning (32 marks), Logical Reasoning (32), General Knowledge (24), English (24) basic Mathematics (8) with no negative marking.

Regional Law Entrance Test After 12th

• Bengaluru aspirants should aim for CULEE for Christ University's BA LLB (Hons) course in December 2026. 
• The Rajasthan students prepare for RULET (June 2026) conducted by University of Rajasthan. 
• Punjab candidates target PUCET Law (January 2026) Panjab University, Chandigarh. 
• Jamia Millia Islamia conducts JMI CET Law in May 2026 while AIL LET (Army Institute of Law, Mohali) is conducted in May for disciplined BA LLB (Hons) and BCom LLB (Hons) programmes.

Upcoming Law Entrance Exams 2027 (After 12th)

Aim for BA LLB, BBA LLB or other law courses after 12th? These national-level exams open doors to 26 NLUs and/or private law schools.

3‑Year LLB Exams for Graduates  

Graduates and Working Professionals have great options through NLSAT for NLSIU Bangalore's prestigious 3 year LLB (Hons), DU LLB for Delhi University Faculty of Law and BHU LLB at Banaras Hindu University. CUET LLB by NTA gives access to several central universities. NMIMS LAT (January-May 2026 phases) comprises NMIMS law schools in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Navi Mumbai, Indore and Chandigarh.

LLM Entrance Tests  

Postgraduate aspirants aim for CLAT PG and AILET PG for NLU seats, CUET LLM for central universities, DU LLM, SLS AIAT (LLM) for Symbiosis, and AICLET for top private law universities. These exams are designed to test basic law subjects knowledge such as Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Contracts, Criminal Law, and International Law.

Best Online Law Entrance Test

AICLET, also known as All India Common Law Entrance Test, is the best online national-level entrance test for admission to law courses. Aspirants who wish to gain admission to top private universities offering quality education, hands-on training and networking opportunities. If you want to pursue a law course after 12th but don’t want to be a part of highly-competitive exams like CLAT 2027 or want to travel to take the test, AICLET 2027 is the best option. 

Additionally, the eligibility criteria for this law entrance test is not extraordinary. Candidates must have completed their schooling with a minimum aggregate of 55% marks from a recognised board. Also, students who are taking their 12th board are eligible. The mode of the test makes it convenient for all the candidates; it is a 100% online test of 1hr and has no negative marking. 

Preparation Tips That Works 

• January-February 2026: Develop foundation. Read The Hindu daily to read Current Affairs and General Knowledge (25-35% weightage in all exams) Start legal reasoning practise, principle-based questions - no prior knowledge of law needed.  
• March - August 2026: Intensive practice. Take one full-length CLAT mock test a week and analyse errors thoroughly. Legal Reasoning + Logical Reasoning = Nearly 50% Marks. The English section is a reading comprehension test, so practise reading comprehension two passages per day.  
• September - November 2026: Peak preparation. Conduct daily mock tests and solve previous year papers. Aim for scores more than 100/120 in CLAT mocks for top NLU seats. Review static topics of general knowledge (GK) including the Constitution, important judgments of the Supreme Court and important government schemes.  
• December 2026 onwards: Change focus to SLAT, MH CET Law, CULEE, RULET, and other university exams. These tests have simpler patterns and therefore only a 6-8 week focused study is needed.

Cutoff Reality Check  

NLSIU Bangalore cutoffs are 100 - 110 out of 120 for the general category. NLU Delhi ranges from 95‑105 marks. A safe benchmark across top NLUs is 105+ marks. No upper age limit is there for CLAT, AILET or SLAT. Students from any stream of Class 12 (Arts, Commerce, Science) are equally qualified. NRI seats are available in all NLUs on the basis of separate counselling.

Next Steps for Law Aspirants  

Mark 6th December (CLAT) and 13th December (AILET) on your calendar, registration to start in August, 2026. Download CLAT 2026 question paper to understand the exact pattern. Choose a backup exam according to state preference, SLAT for private excellence, MH CET Law for Maharashtra seats, CULEE for Bengaluru, and AICLET for easy admission across India. With 10 months remaining, regular preparation will guarantee success in all the most difficult law entrance exams in India.

However, if you are appearing for 12th boards in a few weeks and wish to pursue law courses without dropping or have missed/failed CLAT exam held in December 2025, there are still many paths open for you. Choose the right entrance test and become a lawyer, judge or an expert in the field. Connect with us @08071296498 for free career consultation and know everything about the law courses after 12th. 

FAQS

Which is the best law entrance exam in India?

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is the best yet highly-competitive law entrance test in India offering admission to 26 National Law Universities (NLUs)

What is the eligibility criteria for law entrance exams after 12th?

Candidates must have completed their schooling from a recognized board with a minimum aggregate of 45% marks (5% concession for SC/ST).

What are the top law entrance tests after 12th?

The top law entrance exams after 12th are CLAT, AILET, SLAT, MHCET Law, AICLET, PUCET, NMIMS LAT, and CULEE. Other exams are NLSAT, DU LLB, BHU LLB, and CUET LLB for 3-year LLB, and CLAT PG, AILET PG, and CUET LLM. 

What is the latest Law entrance Test in India? 

All India Common Law Entrance Test is the Latest Entrance test in India for law courses. It is conducted every month and offers a maximum of 3 attempts for scoring well and securing the seat in top law universities. 

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AICLET is one of the best alternative entrance tests to take if you are seeking the best college to pursue a law course in India. 

I had an opportunity to interact with Sir Mark Tully, and each conversation reinforced why he remained one of the most morally anchored voices in journalism. During one such interaction in Goa in 2019, Tully spoke candidly about India’s declining position on the global press freedom index and what he saw as the troubling silence of the Prime Minister when atrocities are committed in the country. 

He argued that when such incidents occur, the Prime Minister must speak out decisively, adding that silence distorts political debate and shifts public attention from governance failures to manufactured sensations. Tully was particularly critical of the lack of serious discussion on administrative reforms, noting that there is little public accountability for how government programmes are implemented on the ground. He stressed that governments must be prepared to face journalistic scrutiny, describing criticism by the press as invaluable to democracy, and warned that attempts to control the media are dangerous, calling the steady decline in India’s press freedom ranking deeply alarming.

Reflecting on governance, Tully observed that despite visible policy initiatives, administrative functioning remains pervaded by a lingering colonial mindset. He cited examples from rural India, where welfare schemes are often misdirected, such as Below Poverty Line cards being issued to those who least need them, while genuine beneficiaries are ignored, and complaints to block-level officials are routinely dismissed or met with hostility. For Tully, rural India remained central to understanding the country’s real governance challenges, as corruption, nepotism, and systemic failures are most visible at the grassroots. He repeatedly emphasised that journalism must venture beyond urban narratives to document these realities.

Recounting the personal risks he faced as a reporter, Tully shared an incident from his early career while covering riots in Faisalabad, where he returned to a burning site to file his story, was briefly detained, and overheard Indian journalists discussing his situation before they helped secure his release, allowing him to complete the report. The episode, like much of his career, underscored his belief that truthful reporting often demands courage, persistence, and an unwavering commitment to bearing witness.

Early Life

Mark Tully, the legendary BBC journalist often described as the “voice of India”, has passed away, leaving behind a body of work that shaped how the world listened to, argued with, and understood India for more than four decades. For generations of listeners, his measured baritone on the BBC World Service was not merely reporting India—it was interpreting its contradictions with empathy, scepticism, and rare moral clarity.

Born in Kolkata in 1935, the same year the Government of India Act set in motion the final phase of British withdrawal, Tully’s life mirrored the arc of the country he would one day chronicle. Son of a senior colonial-era business executive, he grew up insulated by the privileges and prejudices of the fading Raj. A childhood incident—being slapped by his nanny for learning to count in Hindi—became emblematic of the distance colonial society enforced between itself and India. Tully later referred to himself, half-ironically, as a “relic of the Raj,” fully aware of the contradiction he embodied.

Yet history has a way of reclaiming its own. When Tully returned to India in the early 1960s as Assistant Representative at the BBC’s New Delhi bureau, he encountered a nation that no longer belonged to the empire but to uncertainty, ambition, and democratic churn. Carving a space for the BBC in an airwave landscape dominated by Akashvani and Radio Ceylon was no small task. What distinguished Tully was not speed or sensationalism, but patience—listening longer, asking harder questions, and refusing to simplify India for foreign consumption.

Under his stewardship, the BBC reported on India’s most defining moments: the 1965 and 1971 wars, the birth of Bangladesh, the Emergency of 1975, Punjab’s insurgency, and Operation Blue Star. His journalism was not detached; it was deeply contextual, often uncomfortable, and fiercely independent. During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, when most agencies fled, Tully and colleague Satish Jacob reconstructed the conflict from Delhi airport interviews—an exercise in journalistic ingenuity that later revealed the shadowy movements of Murtaza Bhutto.

Legends followed him. During the Emergency, an alleged broadcast nearly landed him in jail on Indira Gandhi’s orders—until I K Gujral discovered the report was fiction. For 22 years as BBC’s India Bureau Chief, Tully became an institution unto himself. After radio, he turned to documentaries and books, most notably India’s Unending Journey, continuing his lifelong interrogation of power, faith, and democracy.

Knighted in 2002 and awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2005, Sir Mark Tully remained a familiar presence at the Press Club of India—curious, accessible, and always listening. He arrived as an outsider. He stayed long enough to become indispensable. And in doing so, Mark Tully did what few correspondents ever manage: he stopped reporting India from a distance and began speaking with it.

India’s higher education has carried a quiet contradiction for decades.We promised mass access and global competitiveness in the same breath, but we continued to run universities on a timetable-and-classroom logic designed for a smaller, more uniform learner population.

The UGC (Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of Undergraduate Degree and Postgraduate Degree) Regulations, 2025 effectively updates that operating system—without shouting—by shifting the sector from rigid, single-track journeys to stackable, flexible,credit-based learning lives.Placed alongside the National Credit Framework ecosystem and theemerging practice of blended learning and multi-assessment, the 2025 direction is not incremental reform. It is a new design philosophy: higher education as a portfolio of capabilities, not a single linear credential. The young learner today does not want only “a degree”; they want a credible pathway to a job, a career pivot, an enterprise, a second skill stack,and—most importantly—a sense that learning can keep pace with life.What follows is a pro-student, pro-placements, pro-entrepreneurship reading of the five major “game changers” now made possible at scale: two admissions a year; open choice of discipline; dual degrees including online pathways; up to 50% credits as skills/vocation/apprenticeship; and a decisive movement toward continuous, authentic assessment beyond written exams. These are not five separate reforms. They are five parts of one larger shift: the university becoming a platform where learning, work, and capability development meet.

The Second Intake Revolution: Ending the “Lost Year” Penalty Two admissions a year—July/August and January/February—may look like a calendar adjustment, but it is, in reality, an equity reform. India has a large pool of “near entrants”: students who are qualified and motivated, yet miss admission windows because of a medical crisis at home, a financial disruption, a delayed result, a migration, or a caregiving obligation. In the old system, missing one deadline often meant losing one full year, and the “lost year” frequently became a lost Learner.Biannual admissions convert that leakage into enrolment. They also change the psychology of aspiration. A student who misses an intake no longer feels “I failed” but “I will enter in the next cycle.” In several contexts, universities have already begun aligning processes with this logic; Gujarat University’s reported second-phase admissions and the idea of direct entry into the second semester signal how institutions can operationalise the principle.The deeper opportunity is even more consequential. Two intakes normalize work-integrated entry. A learner can spend six months in an apprenticeship, a skilling term, or a structured internship, and still enter the degree pathway in January without losing academic rhythm. When the university begins to recognise that learning happens in seasons—sometimes in classrooms, sometimes in workplaces—it becomes far more attractive to first-generation learners and working learners who cannot afford “education without earnings.”Discipline Is No Longer Destiny: Freedom to Choose, with Bridge-to-Choice UGC 2025 takes a bold position that Indian education has needed for a long time: the subjects you studied in Class 12 should not imprison your future. If a learner clears the relevant entrance examination, they can enter an undergraduate discipline irrespective of their school subject combination, with the institution empowered to provide bridge courses to address gaps. The same spirit extends to postgraduate entry as well: learners can move across domains, provided they meet entrance requirements and complete any necessary foundational support.This is pro-student, but it is also pro-economy. The job market is reorganising around skill clusters, not traditional departments. It is increasingly normal for careers to sit at intersections: data plus domain knowledge; design plus business; psychology plus HR analytics; law plus technology; sustainability plus finance; communication plus digital strategy. In such a world, forcing learners to stay “within lane” is not academic purity; it is employability sabotage.
There is also a deeply Indian reason this matters. Many learners discover their real interests late, often after exposure to the world of work or after encountering the right mentor. A student who chose science in school under family pressure may genuinely belong to media and communication; a commerce student may find their calling in product design or public policy. The new flexibility makes the university a place where such discovery is possible without social penalty.The institution-level implementation cue is clear: build a flexible major–minor architecture and a meaningful common core. A learner should be able to hold a primary identity—say, engineering or commerce—while building a formal secondary identity through a minor,a certificate, or a cross-faculty sequence. A common core that includes design thinking, financial literacy, and AI ethics is no longer “nice to have”; it is baseline competence for citizenship and work.The bridge-course mindset will decide whether this reform becomes liberating or merely procedural. If bridge courses become remedial and stigmatizing, the reform will underperform. If bridge courses are designed as launchpads—short, studio-like foundational modules that build confidence through applied learning—discipline mobility will become a genuine democratizer.

Dual Degrees: The Portfolio Learner Becomes Legitimate UGC 2025 formally recognises the possibility of pursuing two UG programmes simultaneously and two PG programmes simultaneously,within the flexibility frameworks notified by the Commission. This sits comfortably with the earlier logic that allowed two programmes across modes—one physical and one ODL/online, or even two ODL/online—subject to recognition, overlap rules, and compliance.At its best, dual-degree design solves a real market problem. Graduates frequently emerge with either domain knowledge without contemporary skills, or skills without domain anchoring. Dual learning allows breadth without abandoning depth. It also legitimises the “hybrid professional,” increasingly the most employable person in the room: the BA/BCom learner with data foundations; the BSc learner with UI/UX and product thinking; the engineer with entrepreneurship and management; the humanities learner with digital media and analytics.

Consider a realistic student in Kolkata or Raipur: enrolled in a conventional undergraduate programme, but also pursuing an online pathway in data analysis, digital marketing, or product design from a recognised provider. In three years, that learner’s transcript becomes a portfolio: one part disciplinary training, one part employability stack,and one part demonstrated work. The university stops producing “graduates,” and starts producing “profiles.” The foreign online degree possibility adds a further layer of opportunity: global exposure, benchmarking, and network effects. But it must be handled with adult caution. Recognition and regulatory alignment matter, and learners must be protected from non-recognised or non-transferable traps. The safest, most student-friendly pathway is not to discourage international online learning, but to build advising and due diligence so students choose credible, recognised options and understand how these credentials will be valued by employers and Institutions.

In other words, dual degrees can democratise global learning, but only if the university becomes a guide, not a bystander.

When 50% Credits Can Be Skills: The Degree Learns to Work One of the most transformative possibilities in UGC 2025 is the explicit permission to structure learning such that while a learner secures a minimum 50% of total credits in the discipline to earn a major, the remaining 50% may come from skill courses, apprenticeships, and multidisciplinary subjects. The regulations also emphasise integrating vocational education, training and skilling, and internships within UG/PG structures. This is not cosmetic. It dismantles an old hierarchy where skills were treated as “extra,” and signals a new reality: a degree is not only knowledge; it is capability. Once skills and work-based learning carry real credit weight, higher education becomes attractive to those who were previously ambivalent about universities—working learners who need flexibility, first-generation learners who demand employability value, and families who cannot afford years of education without visible Outcomes. This is precisely where the National Credit Framework logic becomes operational. If up to half the learning can be creditised across academic,vocational, skills, and experiential domains—recorded through appropriate credit banks and mapped to outcomes—then education and training stop competing. They begin to blend. The employability engine is simple but often missed: skills must be embedded inside the curriculum, not treated as a weekend add-on. When skills training, interdisciplinarity, organic learning, and multi-assessment work together, graduates become demonstrable problem-solvers rather than transcript-holders. A student who has completed a credit-bearing apprenticeship in a local industry cluster, a stackable micro-credential aligned to hiring needs, and a capstone that solves a real problem is not merely “qualified.” They are employable with evidence.

This shift also energises entrepreneurship. A skill minor in product Management or digital commerce can feed directly into venture building.

A vocational-credit sequence in sustainability auditing can become a service enterprise. A design-and-business blend can produce founders

who understand both creation and markets. When credits legitimise skill-building, the university begins to generate not only job seekers but

job creators.

Exams Make Way for Evidence: Continuous, Authentic, and Not Only Written

UGC 2025 decisively broadens evaluation beyond written examinations.It expands the units of evaluation to include seminars, presentations,class performance, fieldwork, and similar demonstrations, with weightage determined transparently by academic bodies. It mandates continuous evaluation alongside semester or year-end examinations and asks institutions to prioritise formative assessment.

The most important implication is cultural: assessment begins to shift from testing memory to validating capability. Many people fear that continuous and non-written assessment “lowers standards.” In reality, it often raises standards because it makes learning harder to fake. A written exam can be gamed; a portfolio of work, a live project, a lab demonstration, a reflective log of problem-solving, and a capstone cannot be replicated without real engagement. Multi-assessment, as an institutional practice, reduces the high-stakes pressure of single-shot exams and makes evaluation more inclusive for diverse learners. It also creates richer employability signals. Employers do not hire marks; they hire evidence of capability. When assessment includes performance-based tasks, inquiry-driven assignments,collaborative work, and reflective documentation, the transcript becomes a story of what the learner can actually do. Indian universities already offer hints of how this can work. Delhi University’s UGCF entrepreneurship track, for instance, speaks the language of venture building—idea validation, market research, prototype or MVP development—essentially treating entrepreneurship as assessable learning rather than as extracurricular theatre. That is exactly the shift India needs: assessment as proof of creation, not proof of recall.

A well-designed system will make e-portfolios and capstones mainstream. The e-portfolio becomes the learner’s public ledger: curated projects, fieldwork, presentations, prototypes, writing samples, and reflections. It is simultaneously an assessment tool and a placement asset. Done properly, it becomes the learner’s most powerful negotiation instrument in the job market.

The Missing Link: Blended Learning and a Project Ecology that Protects Equity

None of these reforms scale unless universities can deliver learning through a blended, flexible architecture. Blended learning is not a superficial “tech addition.” It is the cohesive integration of face-to-face and online modes through curriculum redesign—moving passive content delivery into flexible spaces and using in-person time for active,participative learning.

But India’s equity constraint is real. The digital divide is not a slogan; it is a structural barrier. If blended learning is designed around data-heavy, synchronous video models suited to high-resource environments,it will exclude precisely those learners higher education must include.This is why an “asynchronous-first” design philosophy matters. When content is accessible on low bandwidth, mobile-first platforms; when learning resources can be downloaded and revisited; when engagement is designed through thoughtful discussion prompts and periodic high-impact in-person sessions—then blended learning becomes a tool of inclusion rather than exclusion.

A strong blended model also builds a project ecology. It frees campus time for studios, collaboration, fieldwork, and project-based learning. It encourages interdisciplinarity because real projects rarely respect departmental boundaries. It makes room for apprenticeships and internships because learning can be planned around work cycles. In short, blended learning is not merely a delivery mode; it is the infrastructure of flexibility.

The New Campus Engine: When Placements and Entrepreneurship Share One Wheel

UGC 2025 gives the policy space, but universities must build the institutional machinery. A key shift is to stop treating placement as a seasonal activity and begin treating it as a year-round academic engine. That means building a robust Collaboration and Placement Centre with a dual mandate: placements and entrepreneurship. In a developing economy, employability and enterprise creation are not separate missions; they are two sides of the same economic development coin. This is where industry engagement becomes more than MoUs and guest lectures. Partnerships must mature into structured pipelines: internship quotas, live projects, co-developed modules, mentorship, and recruitment alignment. When industry advisory boards inform curricula, when projects are sourced from real industry pain points, and when evaluation is built around authentic outcomes, placements stop being a last-semester scramble. They become the natural consequence of the learning model. India has already seen how institutional ecosystems can shape entrepreneurial outcomes. Incubation and innovation models associated with leading institutions—such as structured entrepreneurship and incubation ecosystems—show that when mentorship, networks, and real problem solving are institutionalised, venture creation rises. UGC 2025, through credit flexibility and authentic assessment, makes it possible to embed those ecosystems into mainstream degrees, not only into elite Islands. A More Humane, More Useful University UGC 2025 should be understood as a shift from degree delivery to capability development—multiple entry points, multiple pacing options, and multiple ways to prove competence. It is pro-student because it respects life realities. It is pro-placements because it legitimises skills, portfolios, apprenticeships, and industry-facing outcomes. It is pro- entrepreneurship because it makes projects and venture-building assessable within formal education.

The true “game changer” is not any single clause. It is the combined effect: a university that can admit more learners, let them build hybrid identities, let them earn skill credits meaningfully, and let them prove learning through authentic work. Done well, this is how India increases participation, reduces dropouts, improves graduate outcomes, and creates a generation that is not only educated, but employable, entrepreneurial, and future-ready.

An astounding feature of India's higher education is that it ranks among the biggest in the world, with a plethora of colleges, a few hundred universities, and an annual output of millions of graduates. Nevertheless, such a vast setup is confronted with a critical issue: why is it that not even one Indian university, despite its magnitude, finds a regular place among the worlds top, ranked institutions?

That question is, in fact, more poignant if we actually recall that this same land was a world centre of learning some two millennia ago. Universities like Nalanda and Takshashila were not only India’s pride but part of the world’s shared intellectual heritage. Today, it seems the roles have been reversed since Indian students have been going abroad for studies in increasing numbers, Indian universities have been continuously falling behind in global rankings.

At the heart of the problem, there is a university system in India that is not strong in research culture, that is not well funded, that lacks academic freedom and that is not globally oriented. It is quite true that India is a major contributor to the world's research papers, but their citation impact of these papers is much lower than that of leading countries. The main reasons are: very limited spreading of funds, no high tech facilities, very few opportunities, and overburdening of the teaching faculty. If researchers are not given sufficient time and resources, production of high, quality work is very unlikely.

Institutions such as the IITs churn out brilliant engineers, but if they fail to massively integrate disciplines like medicine, law, social sciences, and public policy, they won't be able to meet the global standards. At the same time, the top universities in the world are dependent on interdisciplinary ecosystems that incubate creativity and innovation. India's system, however, remains confined to silos.

Governance and autonomy issues are also major impediments. A large number of Indian universities are so deeply caught up in bureaucratic controls and policy limitations that they almost cannot make quick, autonomous decisions. Meanwhile, leading global universities attract top talent because of their flexibility and freedom.

Equally concerning is the near absence of foreign faculty on Indian campuses. Visa rules, salary caps, and the red tape of the bureaucracy are some of the things that prevent talented people from all over the world from coming to India. Consequently, Indian higher education institutions do not have the international mix that is one of the factors directly affecting the global rankings of universities.

Yet, there is still some small hope at the end of the tunnel. The rise of a handful of private universities, such as Ashoka, O.P. Jindal, and Amrita, show that Indian universities can really compete at the global level if they are given proper autonomy and the right facilities. A major aspect of their fast progression has been their freedom to form partnerships abroad.

In essence, the main question should not be why India is losing ground but what great leap it can take by 2047. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has set broad directions by focusing on multidisciplinary education, research, and granting more autonomy to institutions. However, policies by themselves do not suffice. India should take bold steps in making research a high priority, training professors, forming partnerships abroad, and structurally upgrading its universities.

If India successfully tackles the above challenge, then it will not only be an economic giant but also a world intellectual leader by 2047. On the other hand, if the slow pace continues, the rest of the world will advance, and India will keep questioning: why are our universities not among the best?st global academic legacy.

The long-running debate over India’s entrance examination system appears to be reaching a decisive turning point. The central government’s proposed SAT-based admission model is not just a move towards phasing out major national-level exams like NEET, JEE, and CUET—it is an attempt to reshape the entire education ecosystem under a new framework. If implemented, this could be considered the biggest reform in Indian higher education in decades.

The goal of this new system is pretty straightforward: to lessen student stress, limit the coaching culture dependency, and bring school education back to the main focus. This method is in line with the essence of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which has always highlighted school- based assessment and conceptual learning.

Will This Model Alleviate Student Burden?

Scheduling the SAT twice in the Class 11 proposal seems like a fair compromise. Besides one more chance to better their scores, students, when their Class 12 board results are combined, could see the admission process gradually becoming more integrated, transparent, and school centric.

In the past, the whole pressure of competitive examinations has been on after Class 12. By distributing this burden over two years, the new system could significantly reduce mental stress among students.

Can the Coaching Culture Really Be Curbed?

India's coaching industry has practically evolved into an education system parallel to the formal one. Kota and Hyderabad, Delhi, and Patna are cities that draw hundreds of thousands of students every year.

Higher stress, financial issues, and the steady stream of news about student suicides have regularly exposed the flaws of this system

Measures in the new framework like cutting down coaching hours, not allowing students under 16 years to attend, and school related exams can reduce the influence of coaching centres. Such a change would be welcomed by society and parents alike.

A Transformative Step for Rural and Marginalised Students

The biggest challenge in Indian education has always been equal opportunity. When coaching is expensive and access to big cities is limited, rural and economically weaker students are naturally left behind.

The new system could significantly narrow this gap. NCERT-based assessments, in-school preparation, and fair percentile-based allocation could make the admission process more inclusive.

Is Uniformity Across State Boards Possible?

This is perhaps the most critical challenge. India's state boards vary greatly in their syllabi, assessment patterns, and difficulty standards. In case the SAT syllabus is based on NCERT, state boards will need to overhaul their curricula to keep the students at the same level.

The change will be possible only if the states are empowered with a major role and given sufficient time to execute the plan.

What Do Experts Say?Many experts are of the opinion that this model can lighten the students' stress load, however, they also regard syllabus alignment as the biggest problem. They see it as a great chance for students from rural areas and tell teachers to start preparing for the change now.

Some educators feel the system could help end rote learning, but they also stress the importance of uniformity across state boards. In their view, this reform could improve mental health, offer financial relief, and enhance teaching quality.However, they also suggest pilot projects first to full, scale implementation.

Educators' optimistic responses notwithstanding, they also show that they are cautious about the challenges of execution.

The Bigger Picture

The main purpose of the new admission system is fundamentally good and it can bring about a number of benefits, such as student stress reduction, school education getting its due, and decreasing reliance on coaching institutes.

However, this change is far more than simply a matter of an examination, it demands a fundamental re-thinking of the way students are taught, how the teachers will be prepared, and the whole administrative machinery of education. The model will only be viable and sustainable if the government opts for the phased implementation, first through pilot projects, and later in partnership with the states.

The choice of 2027 as the deadline is certainly a bold move, however, it could very well be the beginning of a new era for the Indian education system.

When scientists first saw a Platypus in 1799, they named it a hoax. Duck bill on a beaver body with venomous spurs? Absurd. Yet this evolutionary odd ball has survived 110 million years - through asteroid strikes and ice ages that killed giants. Secret? Perfect niche mastery. It preys when it's blind, by just using electroreceptors, swims where predators can't follow and combines reptile-mammal characteristics no one else has. That’s exactly what a small university dominating global rankings is– a Platypus.

Your small university or tier-2/tier-3 college in Lucknow, Coimbatore or Jaipur has similar skepticism. Less funding than IITs. Smaller faculty pools. No global brand. But the Platypus Effect is the proof of small wins through ruthless specialisation.

Global Rankings Don't Reward Size, They Reward These 5 Metrics

QS World University Rankings 2025 (1,500+ institutions): 40% academic reputation 20% citations per faculty 20% faculty-student ratio. Times Higher Education 2025: Teaching quality 29.5%, weight heavily on research impact. NIRF India 2025: Teaching resources (30 points), Research Productivity (30 points), Graduate outcomes (20 points).

So, how do small universities climb the rankings in the world? The truth is that all three measure current output and not historical prestige or what your university has achieved earlier. NIRF 2025 data shocked everyone because 42 Universities crashed India's top 100, mostly from ranks 51-200. A jump in score of 3.99 = 40 rank position gained. Small universities are faster when they work on focusing exactly like a platypus would usually do.

Small Universities Must Become a Platypus

We all know about Phineas and Ferbs, and you are surely aware of how their pet platypus kept being their lucky charm, right? Perry was a detective in the show who was thought to be a quiet animal but did things no one expected. That’s exactly what these creatures did in the real world! 

Have you ever thought how could this species defy the law of nature and survive? Experts believed these creatures couldn’t last longer in this evolving world but Platypus Perry is a dopey looking pet that somehow outsmarts supervillains every day. Tier-2/3 colleges have Perry's agility advantage. You teach 80% of India's graduates in cities building real infrastructure and resources in defense, agriculture, manufacturing, not just Bengaluru’s IT unicorns.

UPES has climbed 250 QS positions owning energy engineering. Graphic Era University specialized in niches of hill states of tech. Madan Mohan Malaviya University (Gorakhpur) leaped NIRF bands by focused research. These aren't flukes, they're Platypus Effect Execution. 

How Can a University Improve its Ranking: 5-Steps to Take

Instead of accepting your fate of being an autonomous or local university and googling things like “how small can a university be,” start acting like a platypus and gradually become Perry the Platyus defying all the perceptions of growth, and achieve global recognition.  It is not an impossible task; you need to take just 5 fundamental steps:

1.  Pick Your Driver (Niche Dominance That Crushes Giants)

Forget about copying IIT curriculums. Search "university niche specialization success" - same story everywhere. Rural university? Own agri-biotech where there is no elite to bother? Industrial city? Rule advanced manufacturing. Tier-2 tech hub? Fintech, drones, cyber security.

UPES proves the math: Target 5 publications per department annually in your niche. Launch 1-2 research centers. Citations are on balloons within 18 months, pulling all the ranking metrics up. Giants spread thin across 50 disciplines. You go deep in 3-5 where you can actually win. This isn't theory, it's how small universities actually beat others in world rankings.

1. Smart Global Moves (International Clout Without Millions)

QS/THE international outlook = 10% of score. You beat lumbering giants here.

How? 

1. Email 10 professors worldwide doing adjacent niche work
2. Propose co-authored papers (they want Indian collaborators too)
3. Host 2-3 funded international PhDs in your research center
4. Your deal closes in 3 months. IITs take 2 years.

Result: International co-authorship metrics skyrocket across all systems

3. Faculty = Your Rocket Fuel (Research Productivity Blueprint)

NIRF data: Phd faculty share jumped 28% (2017) to 48% (2025) in climbing universities. Small unis make rockstars faster than tier 1 inherits them.

Execute:

• Biweekly journal clubs (acquaint students with research talk)
• Conference travel grants ($1K/each moves metrics)
• Writing groups + editing support (most papers die here)
• Publication bonuses (25K/paper works)
• HODs: Start by your top 3 researchers. One department's progress drives the institution.

4. Graduate Outcomes: Your Invisible Weapon

All rankings obsess over placements. Recruiters ask "Can they deliver Day 1?" not "IIT or tier-3?" Your local advantage dominates here. Map district-level hiring needs. Secure 5-10 employer pipelines for live projects and internships. Track alumni 3 years out, publish their success stories aggressively. Tier-2 placement rates hit 60-70% through relationships, boosting NIRF graduation outcomes (20 points) dramatically. 

5. Data Dashboard or Die

Assign two staff to track monthly NIRF score calculators, QS citation trajectories, 3-year alumni employment rates, and international paper pipelines. Calculate your exact NIRF/QS/THE scores today. Set department targets. Conduct quarterly reviews. Cambridge University of Kashmir's 2025 plan proves this math works.

Will Local Universities Get Rankings Even If Gen Z Skips Daily College?

Ranking disregards the number of students in the classroom - they are pursuing what students attain after getting their degrees. The 20 point graduation outcomes section of NIRF addresses median salary, PHD admissions, and employer response 3 years later. The QS employer reputation surveys also place one question to the hiring managers, which is whether they would re-hire their graduates again. Halls of lectures that are empty do not enroll.

Years ago physical attendance as a measure was killed. The Choice-Based Credit System created by NAAC already includes the exposure hours in the industry, online modules, and capstone projects as equals to the classroom time. Your student of mechanical engineering in Coimbatore who spends his mornings at a local plant of TVS and afternoons writing automation systems That is all academic credit according to the 2023 rules.

There is a latent advantage to the tier-3 colleges. Students are local residents who have to commute over short distances and are employed on part-time basis by local employers. The B.Tech final-year student who was working night shifts with the district pharma unit as he studied theory online? NAAC gives those hours of practice 3 times the credits on outcome-based learning.

Reorganize Gen Z reality

Introduction of "Work-Learn Degrees" that will have students attending partner companies 60 percent of the time, and campus 40 percent of the time. Local steel mills, garment factories, automobile parts, they must have good juniors at once. One semester of actual productive line work is equal to three years of textbook knowledge on the scores of employer perception.

District-level hiring maps beat national placement cells.. The graduate of your local civil engineering school doing the bridges on the state PWD has exponentially more NIRF weight on him than an attendee at a daily meeting. VCs: recruit one placement officer that will be familiar with all the owners of the factories within 50km. Publicize alumni wages on a per company basis, rather than percentage basis. Earnings information is more reputable than attendance certificates.

Gen Z skipping routine classes hands you outcome-based ranking dominance. Everyday college was no longer possible because employers began recruiting through GitHub profiles and LinkedIn projects. Construct the system that rewards them on what they actually accomplish. Rankings are after graduate success stories and not roll call sheets. 

What Deans, HODs, VCs of Local Universities Need To Do For Dominating Rankings?

HODs begin with the department meeting at 9 AM. Assign clear paper quotas by discipline - Computer Science gets five Scopus papers this year, Biotech wants to have four Q1 journals. Schedule weekly biweekly research huddles in which faculty share paper drafts and receive immediate feedback. Before lunch: One targeted email to a professor overseas who is working on related research. One department doing so generates institutional momentum. NIRF research scores jump 15-20 points if faculty are serious about it.

Deans declare money for research seed funding Monday afternoon. Launch dashboards for citations, international work and alumni placements by department. Faculty growth trumps new buildings for QS, THE and NIRF rankings. Recruiters hire graduates that deliver rather than campus architecture.

VCs dedicate 5% of the operating budget to research operations immediately. Personal one international partnership calls your position an opening door. Celebrate first publications through public assemblies and press releases. Visible ranking improvements come in 24 months through execution, not aspiration. NIRF 2025 showed 42 universities got into the top 100 through focused action.

Rankings are for doers, not dreamers. HODs create momentum. Deans are engine builders of research. VCs deliver results. Small universities move upward by acting Monday morning.

How to Apply for World Rankings (As Small/Local University) (Do This NOW)

Stop waiting for "prestige." Rankings reward action. Download QS Stars rating system (perfect for small universities) - they rate niche excellence even if you're unranked. Submit THE Impact Rankings (1,500+ small universities qualify)—your agri-tech center scores high. NIRF registration opens up in March - upload teaching metrics, research output, even starting from zero. ARWU (Shanghai Rankings) accepts research-focused submissions using publication records only.

Week 1 action: Assign two staff to calculate some existing NIRF/QS scores using the public methodology documents. 

Week 2: Sign up for QS Stars + THE Impact. 

Week 3: Launch niche research center 5 paper target 

Small universities witness between 20 - 40 jumps in positions Year 2 when they treat rankings as operations not dreams. And universities searching "how small universities apply QS rankings," same steps are to be followed everywhere.

Your River Is Waiting, Dive-in Or Let Others Rule It

Gladwell proved that underdogs win 64% with adapted strategy. NIRF 2025's fastest climbers? Tier-2/3 universities. Nazarbayev University gained World Recognition from the same focus. 2025 saw small universities jump when they were focused. 2026 is execution time.

The Platypus Effect isn't theory. It's biology. It's rankings math. It's UPES jumping 250 QS positions. It's 42 NIRF universities are in the top 100.

Leaders googling “how small universities dominate global rankings” are seeking for hope and you are now holding the playbook. So, stop apologizing for being small or local. Rule your river. Execute without mercy. Rankings will follow! 

Rankings ke piche mt bhago, kabil bano aur rankings apke piche bhagengi! (Rancho, 3 idiots)

Walk into any Indian university today and you can sense two strong currents in the air. One is excitement. Artificial intelligence, automation and new digital tools are expanding what students can build, design and publish—often in weeks, not years. The other is anxiety. Job markets are uncertain, business cycles are unpredictable, and many roles are being redesigned faster than degrees can update themselves.

In that tension sits the most urgent question for higher education: what is a university preparing a student for, really? If the answer is only “a job,” the institution is already behind the curve. But if the answer is “a life of value creation under uncertainty,” then the university’s core mandate changes. It must teach people how to innovate—not occasionally, not as a hobby, and not only in engineering and management, but across disciplines and across the entire functioning of

the university.

That is why the idea of an “innovation university” matters. It is not a new centre with a new logo. It is a campus-wide operating system—leadership, culture, incentives, assessment, resources and partnerships—designed to make new ideas routine and execution normal.

From “Entrepreneurial University” to “Engaged University”: An Indian Upgrade

Globally, innovation in universities is often framed through the lens of commercialization: patents, licensing and high-tech spin-offs. That “entrepreneurial university” model has value, but in much of India the deeper opportunity lies elsewhere. The more relevant shift is toward an “engaged university”—one that still participates in economic growth, but stays rooted in regional problem-solving, sustainability and community partnership.

This is not a philosophical preference; it is a pragmatic reading of India’s innovation terrain. Many of the country’s most urgent innovation needs are not only breakthroughs in labs, but solutions that work at scale in real conditions—affordable healthcare delivery, climate resilience, learning outcomes, safety, skilling, MSME productivity, and governance services that reach the last mile.

In such contexts, universities can act as protected “shelters” where students, faculty, communities and NGOs co-create frugal and inclusive innovations—solutions designed to be affordable, adaptable and accessible.

When a university internalises this mission, it stops behaving like a “people factory” and starts behaving like an anchor institution: a reliable idea generator with the ability to change outcomes beyond the campus walls.

Innovation Is Not an Event. It Is a System.

Many campuses already host hackathons, startup weekends and innovation festivals. They create noise, photographs and short-term energy. But without a system, the energy dissipates after the event. The document you shared makes the central point clearly: innovation succeeds when universities build mutually reinforcing enablers, not isolated activities.

That is the logic behind the 10Square Model, which frames innovation culture as ten interacting levers that together turn a campus into a “cradle of new ventures.” The lesson is not to chase ten separate projects, but to design a connected ecosystem where one reform amplifies the next.

The Model for Future Universities

The model explicitly warns against checklist thinking: the power lies in systemic interaction. Consider one practical example from the same framework. Leadership may publicly encourage risk-taking, but that message remains rhetorical if assessment continues to reward only memory and compliance. The moment a university changes evaluation to give credit for prototypes, pitches and documented learning from failure, the culture becomes real.

In innovation, what gets measured gets done. Leadership: The First Campus Innovation Tool Innovation dies first in fear—fear of being judged, fear of failing, fear of “wasting time” on something that will not be graded. Your document makes a direct link between positive, participative leadership and the psychological safety that allows students and faculty to pursue bold ideas.

This is where many Indian institutions can act immediately without waiting for new buildings or large budgets. Leadership can normalise experimentation by making it visible and safe—by celebrating attempts, rewarding learning, and treating failure as data rather than disgrace.

Universities that do this are not lowering standards; they are changing the standard from “perfect answers” to “credible problem-solving.” 

Admissions and Branding: Recruit Innovators, Not Only Toppers

Most universities market programmes. Innovation universities market problems worth solving. That is a subtle but decisive shift in admissions and public communication. Instead of presenting only infrastructure and placements, campuses can showcase real challenges sourced from local industry, civic bodies, hospitals, schools and NGOs—then show how student teams worked on them.

This approach also changes admissions logic. An innovation-oriented admissions track can recognise portfolios, projects, hackathon participation, creative work and community problem-solving evidence—not as “extra-curricular,” but as valid indicators of future value creation.

Scholarships become a strategic tool in this ecosystem. The document highlights a reality that Indian families understand deeply: the biggest barrier to pursuing entrepreneurship is often financial risk. Targeted entrepreneurship scholarships create a “runway” that de-risks early venture work, while also providing “smart capital” through networks, mentorship and credibility.

Curriculum: Make Innovation a Graduate Attribute, Not an Elective

Most institutions treat innovation as a course students may opt into if they have spare time. The innovation university treats it as a graduate attribute—something every student should practise, regardless of discipline.

The practical implication is straightforward. Every programme can be designed with a staged innovation pathway: early grounding in innovation methods, then discipline-based studios, then live problem labs, and finally a capstone project that produces something tangible—a prototype, a policy design, a service redesign, a validated venture idea, or an impact solution with measurable outcomes.

Interdisciplinary design is non-negotiable. Breakthrough ideas often emerge at intersections, and structured cross-major challenges create stronger ventures and more adaptable innovators. India already has institutional references for how this can scale. University-linked incubators such as IIT Bombay’s Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE) demonstrate what happens when research, mentoring and venture support sit close to the student

journey.

The point for other universities is not to copy an IIT model wholesale, but to replicate the principle: make pathways visible, support consistent, and outcomes count.

Pedagogy: Shift from “Coverage” to “Creation”

Innovation cannot be taught only through lectures. It is learned through building—by stepping into messy problems, listening to users, testing ideas, and iterating quickly. Your document uses a powerful phrase for this: “organic learning.” It describes a shift away from lecture-hall transmission toward experiential discovery, where students engage directly with complex, unstructured real-world problems and learn the foundational entrepreneurial act of identifying and understanding a problem worth solving.

This is particularly relevant for Indian campuses because it aligns naturally with the country’s real needs. A municipal ward, a district hospital, a government school cluster, an MSME association, a farmer collective, a tourism cluster, a women’s self-help group—each can

become a learning partner.

In such settings, students learn to operate under constraints, build frugal prototypes, and measure what actually changes. The broader claim in the document is that such learning environments stimulate autonomy, intrinsic motivation and diverse perspectives, which are key conditions for creativity. In other words, the pedagogy is not “practical training” in a narrow sense; it is a direct route to innovation capacity.

Evaluation: If You Grade Only Exams, You Will Get Only Exams

Assessment is where the university’s true priorities become visible. If exams dominate, innovation becomes extracurricular—even if the institution runs events and builds centres. Your document’s “Multi Assessment” approach argues for assessment methods that can capture dynamic skills like creativity, risk-taking and practical problem-solving, which traditional exams and essays measure poorly.

It recommends authentic assessment through realistic tasks such as investor pitches, marketing plans, working prototypes, portfolios, public demonstrations, and structured peer and self-assessment. The deeper point is cultural: when venture creation itself earns academic

credit, students understand that innovation is not a side hustle. It is legitimate academic work.

For Indian universities, this is one of the most direct levers to pull because it does not require permission from the future. It requires courage in the present: to redesign rubrics and to trust documented learning and real outcomes.

The Innovation Policy Tailwind Is Already Here

Indian higher education does not have to invent a policy justification for this shift. The National Innovation and Startup Policy 2019 is explicit about the gap: “innovation is still not the epicenter of education,” and HEIs must enable a cultural and attitudinal shift so that innovation and startup culture becomes a primary fulcrum of higher education.

Similarly, the Ministry of Education’s Institution’s Innovation Councils (IIC) framework spells out what many campuses need operationally: conduct innovation and entrepreneurship activities, identify and reward innovations, organise interactions with entrepreneurs and investors, and create mentor pools for student innovators.

In other words, universities that move now are not acting “outside the system.” They are acting in alignment with the direction the system is already encouraging.

Technology and the Digital Campus: The “Central Nervous System” of Innovation

The innovation university is not only about new courses. It is also about the infrastructure of collaboration. Your document describes technology integration as the “central nervous system” of a scalable ecosystem—enabling virtual incubators, collaboration tools and modern venture development. This matters because innovation is team sport. Students need shared workspaces, version control for ideas, rapid feedback loops, access to digital resources, and platforms that connect them to mentors and industry. When digital systems are absent or fragmented, innovation becomes slow and elite. When they are available, innovation becomes routine and inclusive.

Campus Operations as a Living Lab: Innovation That Starts at Home

A university that wants an innovation culture cannot run its own operations like a bureaucracy. The campus itself can become a living lab—especially through sustainability and service redesign.

The document points to green infrastructure as a pathway to turn campuses into living laboratories—renewables, circular waste systems, biodiversity and measurable resource efficiency—while inspiring eco-preneurship. It also suggests “innovation operations projects” where student teams improve energy, water, waste, transport, queue systems, library usage, alumni engagement and grievance redressal, with improvements measured and iterated.

This is a powerful cultural signal. When students see their university practising innovation in its own daily functioning, they stop treating innovation as theatre and start treating it as normal work.

Linking Learners to Economy and Society: The Innovation Corridor

The engaged university’s ambition is to connect learning with the economy and society in sustained ways. The document describes this as building an “innovation corridor” through problem-solving internships, MSME clinics run by faculty-student teams, co-created projects with NGOs and government departments, and pipelines that connect prototypes to incubators, investors and markets.

India’s strongest campus ecosystems show what happens when this corridor becomes an institutional habit. IIT Madras, for instance, announced in December 2025 that its incubation cell had incubated 511 startups, crossing the 500 milestone with a combined valuation of over ₹53,000 crore and more than 11,000 direct jobs, illustrating the economic impact of sustained support structures. At IIT Bombay, SINE launched an incubator-linked deep-tech VC fund in December 2025, explicitly designed to provide early-stage risk capital to deep-tech startups emerging from academic and research institutions.

These examples are not meant to intimidate non-IIT campuses. They are meant to clarify the mechanism: consistent mentoring, structured pathways, supportive policy, and credible financing options turn student ambition into durable outcomes.

A Final Word: The Campus Must Change Before the World Forces It To

The heart of the argument in your document is simple and hard to ignore: innovation is not a festival. It is a habit. And habits are built through what a campus rewards daily—what it teaches, how it evaluates, how it mentors, how it funds risk, and how it connects students to real problems in society.

India’s universities can either remain reactive, updating courses after industries have already moved on, or they can become the country’s most reliable “future factory,” where every learner learns to build, test, rethink and deliver value. The institutions that make this shift will not only improve placements. They will produce citizens and professionals who can design solutions under uncertainty, create enterprises and services, strengthen communities, and make the economy more resilient. In a time when change is constant and certainty is rare, that may be the

most practical definition of education itself.

The author is the Chief Mentor of Edinbox and works as a Director with the Techno India group of Kolkata, along with being the Principal Adviser of the Kolkata based university of the group.