IIT Madras BS degree convocation marks milestone in democratizing tech education

Time of India

a day ago

MUMBAI: On a day marked by quiet revolutions and roaring applause, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras held its Convocation and Certificate Distribution Ceremony for the BS Degree programmes on 8 June 2025—a moment that didn't just honour graduates but redefined who gets to be called one.
In an auditorium humming with possibility, 867 students from across India and abroad received their scrolls—some holding three-year BSc degrees, others the first-ever batch to earn the four-year BS degrees in Data Science and Applications or in Electronic Systems. Among them were students from remote villages, urban sprawls, and even foreign cities. Some were just 18, others over 80.
'This is not just a graduation.
It's a declaration,' said Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras. 'That knowledge belongs to all. That no income bracket or geography or prior degree should keep someone from accessing world-class education.'
Of the graduating cohort, nearly 150 come from families earning less than Rs 1 lakh annually. Another 100 come from households earning less than Rs 5 lakh. These degrees were not easy. Delivered online but assessed rigorously in person at exam centres across India and abroad, they are as academically demanding as any other degree from
IIT
Madras.
They come with projects, labs, capstones—and grit.
More than half the students (52%) are juggling this programme alongside another undergraduate degree. While 72% come from engineering or technical fields, a significant 22% come from arts, commerce, or sciences—each drawn by the programme's promise to rewire careers and reimagine futures.
Among those honoured was Dr. Sadineni Nikhil Chowdary, an MBBS doctor from AIIMS Delhi, who not only graduated with a CGPA of 9.82 but also topped the GATE Data Science and AI exam.
He now plans to pursue MTech at IIT Madras, showing that medicine and machine learning are not parallel tracks but converging ones.
'Three of the top 10 ranks in GATE DA were secured by our BS students,' noted Prof. Kamakoti. 'That speaks volumes of the academic depth this programme fosters.'
The day also underscored a larger vision. With over 38,000 active learners and growing, this hybrid BS programme is IIT Madras' blueprint for Sustainable Development Goal 4: universal access to quality education.
Whether it's a diploma, a BSc, or a full BS degree, students have flexible exits—and for some, even free rides, thanks to CSR support.
'We're not just building coders or data scientists,' said Prof. Andrew Thangaraj, Coordinator of the BS Program. 'We're shaping informed problem-solvers who understand both complexity and context—who can write code, but also ask the right questions.'
Chief Guest Mr. Aravind Krishnan, Managing Director and Head, Southeast Asia Private Equity, Blackstone, described the programme as 'a global model for accessible, future-ready education,' adding that 'the ability to extract insights from complexity is now among the most valuable skills of our time.'
Today, more than 4,800 students are studying tuition-free thanks to philanthropic support. Over 10,000 students from extremely low-income families receive up to 75% scholarship. Some have already secured admission into institutions like IISc, IITB, IITD, ISB, University of Michigan, and Texas A&M.
What started as a bold experiment is now a quiet revolution. In a world obsessed with exclusivity, IIT Madras is building a new kind of legacy—one where excellence is not rarefied, but reachable.