PNN
New Delhi [India], July 25: In a major step towards creating egalitarian access to quality engineering education in India, tech billionaire and seasoned venture capitalist Prasanna Sankar announced a scholarship potentially worth up to ₹11 lakh for students enrolling in the Scaler School of Technology (SST). The scholarship aims to allow high-potential students to pursue their Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence ambitions with no concern for finances or the need to compromise on college or specialisation.
The Prasanna Sankar Scholarship is available to students taking JEE, BITSAT, SAT, or Olympiads (IOI, IMO) in 2025. It's intended for high achievers potentially limited by their available choices or finances. Every year, countless capable students are forced to compromise, settling for the wrong branch or the wrong college despite their previous successes, and falsely believing those are their only options. With so few seats available at IITs/NITs, potential is routinely squandered. Candidates have to secure admission to SST by clearing the Scaler National Scholarship and Entrance Test (NSET) and subsequent interviews to be considered eligible for the grant.
Prasanna wants these students to know: your journey isn't over. He believes SST offers the most future-ready tech curriculum -- shaped by industry leaders and focused on real outcomes. Through the Luminaries Club (a rigorous, invite-only space where 23 handpicked SST students learn to think like the world's top 1%.), he's seen the quality, ambition, and mentorship at SST -- and this scholarship is his way of helping more students access it.
The scholarship structure is tiered to reward academic excellence across major national and international entrance exams, while also promoting gender inclusivity. For JEE 2025 aspirants, waivers begin at 20% for male candidates scoring between the 95-97 percentile, and go up to 60% for those above the 99.5 percentile; female students receive an additional 5% in every band, making it up to 65% at the highest tier. Similar slabs apply to BITSAT scores, starting at 20% for scores between 230 and 259 and increasing to 50% for scores above 310, with females again receiving a 5% bonus across the board. SAT scorers are also eligible; those scoring 1450-1500 receive a 20% waiver (25% for females), while a perfect score (1550-1600) secures up to 40% (45% for females).
Students demonstrating excellence in Mathematics -- such as scoring in the 99th percentile and above in the JEE Math section -- can earn up to 30% (35% for females). Olympiad achievers who've represented India in the IOI or IMO are awarded a full 100% tuition waiver, while those who reach the national rounds (INOI/INMO) are eligible for a 50% (55% for females) tuition waiver.
Announcing the initiative, Prasanna Sankar shared that his journey--from a young coder in India to co-founding a $10 billion unicorn in Silicon Valley--was made possible by timely access to the right opportunities. Through this scholarship, he aims to offer the same to India's next generation of tech talent.
A NIT Trichy Alumni in Computer Science, Prasanna has attained global stature by ranking #1 on TopCoder India and being a two-time finalist in both Google Code Jam and the ACM ICPC World Finals. Then, after having engineering roles at Microsoft and an internship role at Google, he co-founded Rippling in 2016, now a globally recognised unicorn in workforce management. In 2023, he launched 0xPPL, a decentralized social platform for the crypto-native world. His passion for supporting brave ideas and emerging tech talents makes this scholarship an easy extension of his vision.
In addition to providing students with financial help, the scholarship program is a cornerstone of SST's mission to build an outcome-driven tech program in India. SST combines a rigorous academic program in Computer Science and AI with industry exposure, mentorship from top engineers, and hands-on experience with real-world projects. The curriculum is crafted by over 100 tech leaders from companies worldwide and is regularly refreshed to reflect current industry developments.
SST has already garnered significant publicity for its results over the past year. In their second year, SST students are already securing global internships in more than seven countries, which is not typical even in the best engineering colleges in India. This early exposure to the world helps students develop networks and obtain experiences beyond the classroom. SST has stated a final placement rate of 96.3% with the top offer being ₹2 Lakh per month.
Its parent company, Scaler, reports that it has successfully placed more learners into Amazon than all the IITs combined in 2021. This feat speaks to the organisation's emphasis on practical skills and industry readiness.
The involvement of globally influential individuals in technology further enhances the institution's credibility. Arvind Neelakantan, one of the co-creators of ChatGPT, was on the SST campus, reinforcing the school's reputation as a hub for cutting-edge learning and international collaboration. SST is not just developing engineers -- it is developing engineering-focused tech leaders who can contribute to the world's most critical innovations.
The Prasanna Sankar Scholarship exemplifies SST's commitment to making world-class tech education available to all, regardless of background or the ability to pay. Backed by industry leaders, it's more than just aid; it's a belief in the potential of India's youth.
While SST continues to progress with this kind of initiative, it is redefining a modern engineering institute: Inclusivity, global collaboration, and outcomes-oriented. SST has already seen a 240% increase this year. - and with the last leg ongoing, SST is wrapping up admissions for the 2025 batch soon. Apply for Scaler School of Technology here
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