BITS Pilani, an acclaimed institution for higher education and innovation, held its convocation ceremony at the Pilani campus, awarding degrees to 1,832 students from BE, MSc, ME and PhD programmes. Across all campuses, BITS Pilani awarded a total of 15,681 degrees this year, including Work Integrated Learning Programs (WILP).

Notably, 3,893 women graduated, underscoring the institute’s commitment to promoting diversity in STEM fields.

The ceremony was graced by prominent dignitaries including Chief Guest Dr S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO, and Guest of Honor Sanjay Mehrotra, Chairman and CEO of Micron Technology. Both emphasized the crucial role of BITS Pilani in fostering collaboration between academia and industry.

Dr. Somanath inspired the students by highlighting India’s role as a global technology leader, while Mehrotra encouraged the graduates to innovate and pursue inclusive development.

PLACEMENT RECORD AT BITS PILANI

The institution recorded an impressive national placement rate of 81 percent, with the Pilani campus achieving 80 percent placements.

Graduates were mainly placed in IT, banking, finance and electronics with top recruiters such as Google, Microsoft, Cisco and Goldman Sachs. Emerging industries including high-frequency trading and supply chain management were also prominent, with firms such as Tower Research Capital and Micron recruiting BITS Pilani talent.

BITS Pilani has reported an increase in PhD enrollments, achieving a compound annual growth rate of over 20 per cent over the past five years, with 42 per cent women students out of over 2,050 current applicants. In the fiscal year 2023-2024, the institute secured 72 research projects worth a total of 81.33 million euros and filed 121 patent applications, reaching a total of 419 patents filed and 107 granted to date.

The event also saw the launch of the BITS Pilani Endowment Fund, with six alumni pledging $1 million each towards the $100 million fund for campus development projects.

The institution’s alumni network contributed significantly to this year’s success, with more than 150 alumni-led organizations offering internships. The institute celebrated the achievements of the alumni with awards including the prestigious BITS Ratna Award for Pratul Shroff and Distinguished Alumnus Awards for accomplished personalities from various sectors.

BITS Pilani also marked the launch of two books: BITS Pilani: A Journey of Innovations in Higher Education by Prof. LK Maheshwari and BITS Pilani Trailblazers by Prof. Sudhir Kumar Barai and team, both published by Macmillan.