Over 30% of Enrolled Students Opted for SST Despite Offers from Premier Institutes, including IITs, NITs and IIITs
Nearly 70% of SST’s Students Hail from Tier 2, Tier 3, and Smaller Cities, challenging stereotypes
Scaler (by InterviewBit), one of India’s fastest-growing startups, today said that the inaugural batch of the fully residential 4-year UG program in Computer Science at the Scaler School of Technology (SST) garnered immense interest, with over 54,000 registrations for the 191 available seats. SST saw an enrolment of over 5,000 students for the Scaler National Scholarship and Entrance Test (NSET), leading to a highly selective acceptance rate of 3.8% for the pioneering software engineering program.
Interestingly, over 30% of the students enrolled for the program chose SST despite receiving offers from some of India’s most prestigious educational institutions, including- IITs, IIITs, NITs, IISC and the like. These students consciously opted for Scaler School of Technology, located in Bengaluru, highlighting the unique appeal of its practical, industry-focused approach.
Additionally, the admissions data for the batch also challenges a conventional narrative prevalent in the industry. Nearly 70% of SST’s students come from Tier 2, Tier 3, and smaller cities, dispelling the myth that new-age education programs and institutions primarily cater to learners from Metropolitan and Tier 1 markets.
Notably, over half of the enrolled students (52%) have a family income of less than INR 6 Lakhs per annum, demonstrating SST’s dedication to making high-quality tech education accessible across socio-economic strata. Furthermore, the institute is also providing scholarships to over 25 students from Economically Weaker Sections, ensuring that quality tech education remains accessible to a wide and diverse range of aspiring learners.
“In the current educational landscape, we frequently observe a disparity between industry requirements and the offerings of traditional engineering colleges in our nation. At SST, we are proactively addressing this gap. As the first and only institute in the country without conventional professors, our faculty comprises seasoned industry professionals who not only possess extensive industry experience but have also led teams at some of the leading tech companies. The course curriculum has also been co-created alongside industry leaders from tech companies, ensuring that our learners are being taught the most relevant and updated material. This distinctive approach sets us apart from traditional engineering colleges,” said Bhavik Rathod, Senior Vice President and Head of Scaler School of Technology.
“When students opt for SST over some of our nation’s premier tech institutions, they affirm their profound endorsement of our distinctive pedagogical approach. Their hunger to acquire industry-relevant skills by the end of their undergraduate studies serves as a testament to the validation of our vision for SST”, he added.
The academic background of SST’s student population is diverse, with 62.09% from CBSE, 32.02% from State Boards, 4% from ICSE, and 2% from CISCE.
It is worth noting that more than 75% of the students independently chose SST, driven by their belief in the institute’s industry-aligned approach. The remaining 25% discovered SST through various channels, including referrals from the existing learner base for Scaler’s upskilling programs, highlighting the broad appeal of the institution’s offerings. The calibre of the students can be gauged by their achievements so far; one student has recently sold his start-up to a UK-based edtech company, and another is a national-level rifle shooter who has been building drones and aircraft since his early school days. Several more such stories can be found among the aspiring young batch of software engineers.
Since the commencement of its first batch in July, SST has hosted a series of events, from an Open Source Hackathon under the mentorship of Shivay Lamba to a coding competition to launch the SST Competitive Programming Club, as well as cultural celebrations and community engagement activities. Students have had the unique opportunity to engage and interact with industry stalwarts such as Prasanna Sankar, Co-Founder, Rippling; Amod Malviya, Co-Founder – Udaan; Bhavin Turakhia, Founder – Zeta and Ajey Gore, CTO- PeakXV Partners among others.
