First undergraduate cohort steps into “Indian Institute of Management Bangalore-Dorabji Tata School of Undergraduate Studies” at Jigani
Eighty students from 20 states join inaugural BSc programmes in Data Sciences and Economics
2 September, 2026, IIM Bangalore welcomed the first-ever batch of its BSc (Hons) Programmes in Data Sciences and Economics to the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore – Dorabji Tata School of Undergraduate Studies, with an inauguration ceremony on 31st August, marking the institute’s entry into undergraduate education as one of the world’s leading management schools. The ceremony brought together the institute’s leadership, faculty, and the inaugural cohort of 80 students for what speakers repeatedly called a ‘historic moment’ for Indian education.
The ceremony brought together IIMB leadership, faculty, dignitaries and members of Tata Trusts. It began with a welcome address by Prof. Mukta Kulkarni, Officiating Dean, UG Programmes and Dean, Programmes, followed by an invocation and lighting of the lamp.
In his address, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIMB and Chairman and Founder, Narayana Health, called it a momentous occasion for India’s education system. Thanking Mr. Noel Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts, he placed the new school in the legacy of Tata-supported institutions like the Indian Institute of Science and Tata Memorial Centre.
He said the school would help prepare India for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and noted that 25% of the founding batch is on full or partial scholarships. Quoting Jamsetji Tata, he said, “In a free country with its vast natural resources, an intellectual revolution is the only thing that can elevate the condition of the people.”
Mr. Siddharth Sharma, CEO, Tata Trusts, urged the founding batch to recognise its unique responsibility to shape the culture of the institution from day one. Drawing from his career across government, corporate and development sectors, he advised students to hold on to four principles — honesty, integrity, hard work, and continuous learning and re-learning.
“There are no shortcuts to reaching the top of any profession,” he said, adding, “how they shape their own evolution as human beings matters more than how they shape their careers. A good human being will make a good professional, but not the reverse.”
Mr. Sharma said India’s shortage of high-quality higher education institutions has turned admissions into an elimination process rather than a selection process, and the partnership with IIMB was a long-term investment in youth.
“Institutions are not about bricks and mortar. Institutions are not about amenities and facilities, but institutions are about faculty. Institutions are about teaching. Institutions are about learning. And institutions are about the culture of excellence,” he said. He added that the cohort of 80 is expected to grow to 2,400 students with 150 faculty by 2034. “We’ve always thought the idea is to look at the future, do the right thing, do what is right for India,” he said, asking students to prepare for a world reshaped by AI and rapid technological change.
Prof. U. Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge, IIMB, thanked the Government of Karnataka, which has granted over 100 acres for the campus, as well as the Board of Governors, Tata Trusts and partners including Axis Bank, State Street and Wipro. He said the school responds to a national challenge in undergraduate education and employability, inspired by Nalanda University and IIMB’s motto of studying, enlightening and co-creating knowledge. He told students their four years would not be “one-way traffic” but a process of creating knowledge with faculty.
A tribute video honouring those who built the school was screened, including the Campus Integration Run led by Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Faculty, from Bannerghatta Road campus to Jigani.
Mr. Abhejit Agrawal, Head of Sustainability and CSR, Axis Bank and an IIM Calcutta alumnus, urged students not to let the weight of the institution’s name sit heavily on their shoulders and to make full use of their professors and campus. He closed with Shakespeare’s line: “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.”
The inaugural batch has 40 students each in Data Sciences and Economics — 56 male, 24 female — with 39 each from Commerce and Science and 2 from Arts and Humanities. Over half scored above 90% in Class 12, and 44 scored above 90 in Mathematics. The cohort comprises 51 from CBSE, 23 from State boards, 4 from IB, and one each from NIOS and ICSE, representing 20 states, led by Maharashtra (18), Karnataka (13) and Uttar Pradesh (10).
