Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow has started its 2025 academic session on a diverse note, as the institute has inducted a fresh batch of students in which 49.30% are from non-engineering streams. This is a significant increase compared to the previous year’s 43.8%, in which the Post Graduate Programme (PGP) batch comprised 251 students from streams like commerce, arts, and management.

This expansion of diversity in student profile is a deliberate change in management education that values a broad spectrum of viewpoints. The institute has welcomed a diverse group of students, acknowledging that views from more than one educational and professional background increase the richness of the learning community. Even though engineering students continue to represent 50.70% of the batch, the almost equal ratio is a sign of a break in the trend in management education in India.

The new batch has enrolled in the institution’s different flagship programmes—i.e., the Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), Post Graduate Programme in Agribusiness Management (PGP-ABM), and the Post Graduate Programme in Sustainable Management (PGP-SM). These programmes are not only imparting students with academic knowledge but also shaping leadership skills, innovation, and social responsibility.

A significant percentage of the new batch are also freshers at 32% in the PGP and 68% in the PGP-ABM programme, reflecting the institute’s still strong appeal for veterans as well as those embarking on first-time post-graduate studies. The batch is also 30% women, reflecting the institute’s initiatives towards providing more gender balance in management education, so far a male preserve.

To welcome and integrate this new batch, IIM Lucknow has organized a sophisticated three-day induction program. The induction is not being planned as an orientation to campus life but as a complete introduction to the institution’s culture, values, and expectations. It will consist of interaction with various stakeholders from academia and industry and will provide students with a rich image of the prospects lying in wait at individual and professional fronts.

IIM Lucknow faculty highlighted the importance of this initial phase. Prof. Sanjeet Singh, Dean, Faculty, greeted the students by recognizing everyone’s academic background. “You belong to different streams—engineering, arts, commerce, and others—and diversity is your strength,” he asserted. His remarks reinforced the fact that the batch experience as a whole would be more enriching thanks to the different spectacles through which students see the world.

Repeating the same, Prof. Sanjay K Singh, Dean, Programmes, spoke to the students about the revolutionary journey that they would be embarking on soon. Speaking to the batch, he said, “Beyond academics, your journey here will be about building a mind upon curiosity and grit. I implore you to meet every experience, be it in class room or on the playground, with an open heart.”. Make the habit of inquiry, questioning assumptions, and examining the world, and the world around you. We look forward to being on your journey of transformation.”

This message is a tone-setter for the year, with the focus not only on academic success but on building a questioning and thinking approach—hallmarks of future leaders. Interaction with outside stakeholders from diverse walks of life is a natural strategic component of induction because it enables students to discover what issues exist in the world and how at IIM Lucknow they can learn to address these effectively.

These students will be going through a high-intensity academic program interspersed with live projects, industry internships, and overseas immersion programs during the next two years. The plan is to shape them not just as business-ready professionals but also socially conscious individuals who can contribute to the society.

The growing share of students with non-engineering and heterogeneous academic backgrounds is not just a statistical phenomenon—that is a reflection of IIM Lucknow’s continued focus towards building a learning environment that emphasizes diversity of mind and ability. As the institute begins the next academic session on a positive note, the new batch is a reflection of shifting trends in business school education and the increasing need for holistic and inclusive managerial leadership talent.