CHENNAI : Cargill, a US-global food and agriculture corporation, in partnership with the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has announced a full scholarship for students who wish to pursue BS in Data Science Applications at IIT Madras. The students would be selected based on the eligibility criteria for the Merit-cum-Means Scholarship. About 7,500 new students enter the program every year, of which between 25% and 30% fall in the category of annual family income of less than Rs 5 lakh.

The Cargill Scholarship will enable over 100 students from this low income background to fulfil their dream of pursuing higher education at IIT Madras. IIT Madras launched the BS in Data Science and Applications in June 2020. The program has completed six academic terms and is stepping into its third year. The program was recently awarded the Silver medal by QS-Wharton Reimagine Education Awards for Best Online program.

More than 22,000 learners have qualified for the program so far and about 17,000 are actively studying. While 195 students are at the Degree level, more than 4,500 are at the Diploma level

Thanking Cargill for their support, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said, “One out of four students undergoing the BS course hails from an underprivileged background. The Cargill Scholarship will provide such deserving and meritorious students across India, an opportunity to pursue their dream education from a prestigious institution like IIT Madras. Many of these students hail from families of first-generation college graduates, daily-wage earners, farmers, etc. and are already availing bank loans or various government scholarship schemes. This scholarship will play a significant role in easing the financial burden on the student’s family.”

The IIT Madras BS Degree in Data Science and Applications is a unique program designed to offer students multiple entry and exit options where the learner can enter and exit with a certificate, diploma or degree. There are four levels in the IIT Madras Degree program and to get the BS Degree in Data Science and Applications from IIT Madras, a student has to successfully complete all four levels.

Speaking about this partnership, Mr. Sumit Gupta, Country Head of Cargill Business Services in India, and Technology Leader at Cargill, said, “We are proud to collaborate with IIT Madras to provide financial aid to bright students from low-income families to pursue undergraduate course in Programming and Data Sciences. At Cargill, we care about creating equal opportunities and we focus on investing in innovation and future talent. We hope this support to STEM learning will be instrumental in advancing skills and knowledge and creating a skilled workforce. This is an important program for Cargill to promote diversity, equity and inclusion among communities in the near future.”

This program provides flexibility for learners and empowers the students to choose what they want to accomplish through this programme. Unlike the highly competitive Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE), in which very few candidates qualify, this program is more open and has an inclusive qualifier process which provides learners across the country access to IIT quality education. This is a great program for students from low-income families who possibly might have discontinued or taken breaks due to economic reasons.

ABOUT CARGILL

Cargill helps the world’s food system work for you. We connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients and families with daily essentials—from the foods they eat to the floors they walk on. Our 160,000 team members around the world innovate with purpose, empowering our partners and communities as we work to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, sustainable way.

From feed that reduces methane emissions to waste-based renewable fuels, the possibilities are boundless. But our values remain the same. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing. It’s how we’ve met the needs of the people we call neighbors and the planet we call home for 157 years—and how we’ll do so for generations to come. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

ABOUT IIT MADRAS

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’ The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres. The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations. IITM is a residential institute with more than 600 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.

Recognized as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) in 2019, IITM has been ranked No.1 in the ‘Overall’ Category for the fourth consecutive year in India Ranking 2022 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India. The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the ‘Engineering Institutions’ category in the same Rankings for seven consecutive years – from 2016 to 2022. It was also adjudged as the ‘Top innovative Institution’ in the country in Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) in 2019, 2020 and 2021. ARIIA Ranking was launched by the Innovation Cell of Ministry of Education.