Scaler School of Technology’s UG Program in Computer Science & AI, Reports a 130% Surge in Applications

New Delhi, 25th October, 2024: Scaler School of Technology, a fully residential UG Program in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence by Scaler, continues to experience remarkable growth, with admissions surging by almost 130% in 2024. SST recorded an enrollment of over 12,000 students for the Scaler National Scholarship and Entrance Test (NSET), up from 5000 registrations the previous year, highlighting the growing interest in the program. The program also maintained its highly selective acceptance rate of 3.7%, ensuring a competitive and diverse cohort of 440 students (230% increase as compared to the first batch that comprised of 190 students).

Over 137 admitted students turned down offers from India’s premier institutions, including IITs and NITs, and 12 declined offers from global universities like the University of Toronto, the University of Texas, and Michigan State University, among others.

The SST student roster includes students with JEE scores as high as 99.4 percentile, top rankings in the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) Regionals, CodeChef competitions and Hackathons. SST students created a record by being the highest-ranked 1st-year team across India at the Olympics of Coding by International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) by outperforming teams from IITs and NITs.

To shape its students into future tech entrepreneurs, SST offers a dedicated space known as the Innovation Lab, explicitly designed to foster the development of deep-tech startups and impactful projects. Students have the chance to work on ground-breaking initiatives, collaborating with industry and top C-Suite leaders from leading tech companies, along with Scaler’s in-house engineering mentors who provide guidance every step of the way. SST students are engaged in several other innovative projects using AI and smart devices that are being developed independently and in collaboration with leading tech companies.

One noteworthy initiative is the collaboration with Bhashini, the Government of India’s AI-powered multi-lingual translation platform. First-year students at SST are working on creating a tool to help remove language barriers across India, showcasing SST’s focus on solving large-scale, meaningful problems. Under this project, SST students are leveraging Bhashini’s pre-trained models and APIs to build a suite of translation tools, including a Chrome Extension and a Webpage Translation API, to translate web pages into various Indian languages seamlessly. This effort is helping Bhashini realise its mission of enabling all Indians access to the internet and digital services in their native languages.

This exposure has also enabled over 65 students from the inaugural batch of 2023 to secure high-paying internships with companies like Freecharge, Pazcare and Clearfeed. Additionally, 21 students work directly with Dukaan’s CTO, Subhash Choudhary, gaining hands-on experience building scalable products.

Abhimanyu Saxena, Co-founder of InterviewBit and Scaler, said, “Recent industry reports reveal that almost 90% of India’s engineering graduates are unemployable, with fresher hiring becoming a contentious topic in mainstream media. Almost all good engineering colleges in the country have limited seats for those interested in computer science, exasperating the existing skill gap even further. At SST, we provide an education model that is relevant to the dynamic demands of the tech industry, thereby ensuring our graduates have the necessary skills, opportunity and experience required to thrive in today’s competitive job market. Our unique pedagogy and expert-reviewed curriculum allow our students unparalleled access to hands-on projects and experiences that will help them excel far beyond their peers. The significant rise in enrollment numbers this year, along with the number of students opting for SST over other premier institutions, is proof of our program’s effectiveness in addressing the prevalent skills gap in the sector.”

As the industry continues to grapple with the skill gap existing in the education sector, impacting productivity as well as the employability of the youth, SST is determined to enable aspiring engineers to become world-class talent by equipping its students with the skills, experience and mentorship needed to thrive in an increasingly complex digital world. The program challenges conventional educational approaches by offering students a blend of academic rigour and practical, real-world experience. The institution’s focus on entrepreneurship and innovation has made it a top choice for aspiring tech leaders who want to make a meaningful impact in their careers.

Entrepreneurial students even have the opportunity to pitch their projects and receive funding from top investors, including Sequoia and Lightrock. This access to real-world mentorship equips SST students with valuable industry exposure, giving them a distinct advantage that sets them apart from their peers. The program has received endorsements from industry leaders, including Rajan Anandan from Google and Bhavin Turakhia, highlighting its commitment to preparing students for future roles in technology and innovation.

The institution’s focus on practical, project-based learning has resulted in several recognitions, including Scaler’s inclusion in Time’s 2024 list of emerging education companies.