The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has selected a total of 87 students from government and corporation schools across various districts in Tamil Nadu for admission to the BS programme. The Minister for School Education, Tamil Nadu, Thiru Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi handed over admission letters to the students in the event held in IIT Madras under the 'Anaivarukkum IITM' initiative today, November 5. A total of 87 students, including 39 females, across more than 20 districts in Tamil Nadu have received admissions for the BS Degree in Data Science and Applications. The next batch of the IIT Madras BS Programme will begin in January 2023, and applications are currently open at onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in.
"I congratulate the students from Tamil Nadu Government schools who have qualified for the IIT Madras BS Degree Programme and wish them success. I thank the IIT Madras Administration and its Director, Professor V Kamakoti for taking such meaningful initiatives to make quality education accessible and affordable for Tamil Nadu Government students. This aligns with the State Government's initiative to make education in premier institutions accessible to State Government school students and I appreciate IIT Madras BS Degree Programme's collaboration in making this effort possible. We look forward to taking this to its next level as you introduce new programmes", said Thiru Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Minister for School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu.
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The course is carefully designed to offer students multiple entry and exit options where the learner can earn a certificate, diploma, or degree. This provides flexibility to learners and empowers them to choose what they want to accomplish through this programme. The programme imparts highly sought-after industry-relevant knowledge and skills that would greatly enhance employability. In addition, the students who graduate with a BS degree will be eligible to appear for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) GATE and pursue MTech in India or apply to postgraduate degrees offered by universities abroad.
“IIT BS degree is an unexpected opportunity. I did not know what IIT was previously, but my ambitions changed after I was introduced to this training. I worked hard for 12 weeks. I learnt new techniques on how to make learning easier,” said Jagashree, a student from Virugmabakkam who had received admission at IIT Madras for the BS programme.
So far, more than 15,000 students are enrolled in the programme, with the maximum number of students from Tamil Nadu, followed by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
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"The ‘Anaivarukkum IITM' initiative aims to increase the number of Government school students who are enrolled in our BS program. We are excited that the first batch of students through this initiative has now been admitted. We aim to grow this further and make quality education accessible to all, regardless of their socio-economic status. We are glad that the Hon'ble Minister of School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu could join us for this event to motivate the students. We also thank the Tamil Nadu Government for all their support," said Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, congratulating the students receiving their admission letters.
The course is a platform to create skilled and employable professionals in a data-driven world. The IIT Madras team is confident that this inclusive and affordable education model will extend IITs' reach by orders of magnitude and address the pressing need of the learners to get access to high-quality education," said Professor Vignesh Muthuvijayan faculty-in-charge, BS Program at IIT Madras.
The 'Anaivarukkum IITM' (IIT Madras for All) is an initiative where IIT Madras shortlisted and supported a select cohort of 192 students from 58 government and corporation schools in and around Chennai. Based on the progressive learning outcomes exhibited during a 14-week in-person training at IIT Madras, 68 students were shortlisted to write the pan-India qualifier exam for admission to the BS Degree.
In an effort to make quality education affordable and available to all, IIT Madras provides income-based scholarships of up to 75 per cent for students pursuing the BS Degree. In addition, students who qualified through a collaborative effort with Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing Development Corporation (TAHDCO) will receive full financial support from the Government of Tamil Nadu.
