IIM Sambalpur welcomes 10th MBA batch; comprises 76% female, 60% non-engineering students

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Managemnet (IIM) Sambalpur has welcomed its 10th MBA batch of 2024-26 with female students outnumbering males threefold. As per university records, the MBA batch of 320 students, comprises of 76% (244 students) female students, and 24% (76) male students.

An orientation programme for the MBA cohort was held on day 1, which included a comprehensive briefing on the MBA ordinance and anti-ragging policies delivered by Atri Sengupta. According to IIM Sambalpur, the second day will include a case analysis workshop led by Nilesh Khare and an online simulation workshop conducted by Sabyasachi Sinha from IIM Lucknow. Day 3 will commence with expert panels and workshops, starting with a CHRO panel discussion on ‘initiating your corporate career from day 1’.

IIM Sambalpur 10th MBA Batch: Academic backgrounds of students

This year's intake also reflects a notable increase in diversity beyond gender. As per IIM Sambalpur, 60% (194 students) of the batch come from non-engineering backgrounds, highlighting a shift towards a more varied academic profile. Among these, 19% students are from science and commerce disciplines, while 12.5% have backgrounds in management, and 4% in arts streams. The remaining 40% (126 students) of the batch have backgrounds in engineering.

IIM Sambalpur MBA Batch 2024-26: Experience level of students

Furthermore, the batch composition reveals a blend of experienced professionals and fresh graduates. As per the university release, in the MBA batch 46% (146) students have prior work experience, whereas 54% (174) are freshers.

During the welcome address, Mahadeo Jaiswal, director, IIM Sambalpur highlighted the institution's establishment by the Government of India in 2015 and said, "Welcome to IIM Sambalpur, where we stand by our core values of Innovation, Integrity, and Inclusiveness, the idea of gender diversity was pioneered at IIM Sambalpur. Before 2017, the percentage of women students in MBA classes across IIMs was less than 11%, including IIM Sambalpur. In 2017, we made a bold decision to implement a policy that provided an additional 5% cut off reduction for female candidates when calling for interviews and then creating a common merit list. This initiative made history by achieving a 50% female enrollment from 2017 onwards, a model that has since been adopted by all IIMs.

The chief guest, Subrat Tripathy, president business development of Adani Group, said, "As we stand on the threshold of a new era, we must embrace the transformative power of technology while grounding ourselves in the timeless values of humanism. The journey ahead will be defined by our ability to integrate innovation with empathy, creating a future where progress and compassion go hand in hand. To the young minds embarking on this path, remember the words of Swami Vivekananda: 'Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.' Let this be your guiding light as you navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead."