‘The campus is amazing’: 4 IIMs find room to increase seats, courses, research in their new permanent homes

NEW DELHI: Despite being established just under a decade ago, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) in Bodh Gaya, Sambalpur, Jammu, and Visakhapatnam were functioning in temporary campuses for nearly a decade. That is until 2024, when all four IIMs inaugurated their new permanent campuses.

Till now, these IIMs were limited in their ability to expand programmes, increase student intake and research collaborations, due to the smaller temporary campuses. Now, the new campuses pave the way for expansion and in the right way. It’s not just about glitzy infrastructure but the newly-built campuses are far more energy efficient and ecologically sensitive. Plus, they’ll help attract new students.

IIM Bodh Gaya was able to take in more students with its new campus

In 2018, the Government of India had approved Rs 2,800 crore for permanent campuses for seven new IIMs – all set up in 2015. These include IIM Nagpur, which inaugurated its new campus in 2022, and IIM Amritsar and Sirmaur – both yet to move into new campuses.

With solar farms, latest sewage management systems, incubators and high-tech classrooms, these IIMs now hope to hold their own in the competition for the best students.

IIM admission is through the Common Admission Test (CAT exam). The CAT 2024 is on November 24; IIM Calcutta, which will be conducting it, has issued the CAT 2024 admit cards.

IIM Admissions: More facilities, seats, students

For the newer IIMs, the temporary campuses didn’t just limit student intake but also imposed severe constraints on research collaborations, new programmes, and ability to hold conferences and networking through them.

“The temporary campus limited our ability to expand various programmes due to its inability to accommodate a large number of students. For instance, hosting significant conferences and events proved unfeasible; scope of research initiatives and collaborations remained limited due to spatial constraints. Moreover, the absence of a permanent campus complicates the establishment of an organisational identity, which is crucial for the effective development of a brand,” said Mahadeo Jaiswal, director, IIM Sambalpur.

IIM Bodh Gaya's new sports complex

Some IIMs have seen an immediate increase in admissions. IIM Bodh Gaya, for instance, inaugurated its campus in February 2024, well before the new academic year, and saw its student intake triple.

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“Before we had our permanent campus, we were a bit limited in terms of how much we could grow. We had fewer students and facilities, and we were focused on making the best of what we had,” said Vinita Sahay, director, IIM Bodh Gaya. “However, as soon as the new campus was inaugurated early this year, everything changed. The student strength on campus has grown from around 450 in 2022 to over 1,400 in 2024, and this has allowed us to expand our academic programmes, research opportunities, and overall student experience.”

“The new campus has opened up a world of possibilities for us. We can now run several parallel classes in our state-of-the-art classrooms for all batches at the same time, which means we’re able to offer a wider range of courses simultaneously, and we’re rapidly expanding our faculty to meet the growing demand,” she added.

The newer facilities also allow for more subtle but useful improvements. IIM Sambalpur, for instance, has installed an autotranscript tool using its smart classes to transcribe and send faculty lectures directly to students.

“During the session, the technology automatically transcribes the professor's lecture into a detailed document, which is then instantly converted into a PDF and shared with students in real-time. This process ensures that students receive the lecture notes immediately, regardless of their location, whether they are attending in person or remotely from anywhere in the world,” said Jaiswal.

IIM campuses become energy-efficient

One of the advantages that the newer IIMs now have over the older ones is that their campuses are far more environment-friendly. IIM Visakhapatnam, for instance, is rated five stars by the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA). GRIHA looks at sustainable practices in building design and operation and rates construction projects from one star to five stars. IIM Sambalpur and IIM Bodh Gaya campuses have been awarded four stars by GRIHA.

IIM Visakhapatnam's seminar hall

“One major advantage of being a newer campus is that we have incorporated modern technologies and sustainable practices right from the start. Our campus has been designed to be energy-efficient and environmentally friendly… This means that we meet strict guidelines for sustainability, including energy use, water conservation, and waste management. The campus has features like solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems, and green spaces, which not only make it eco-friendly but also provide a healthier environment for everyone here,” said Sahay.

The campuses are also energy efficient. IIM Visakhapatnam and IIM Sambalpur claim to be nearly 100% self-sufficient in energy needs thanks to their solar farms. The campuses have sewage treatment plants, such as the one in IIM Sambalpur which reuses the water for irrigation and uses organic waste to generate biogas.

“This campus is constructed using eco-friendly and locally-sourced materials. The institute adheres to energy-efficient and ecologically sensitive principles, such as the use of dual flushing cisterns, water-efficient fixtures, and photovoltaic solar power rooftop installations. These efforts significantly reduce our carbon footprint and electricity consumption. The institute also takes pride in being nearly self-sufficient in its energy needs, primarily through rooftop solar panels,” said Jaiswal.

IIM campuses in 2 phases

All four campuses are being built in two phases. They have been inaugurated after the completion of phase 1. For IIM Bodh Gaya, a hostel with capacity for 600 students will be a priority in Phase 2.

“We've got some really exciting infrastructure projects coming up as part of our expansion plans. For example, in phase 2 of the campus construction, we’re adding a new hostel that will accommodate 600 more students, along with new residences for our faculty. We’re also planning to enhance our recreational facilities to make sure students have everything they need right here on campus, so it’s a well-rounded environment for both learning and leisure,” said Sahay.

IIM Sambalpur will be setting up new centres of excellence in Phase 2.

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“We are setting up new hubs and centres of excellence that focus on cutting-edge areas like data analytics, AI, and machine learning. We are also developing new centres to foster entrepreneurship, giving students and startups the tools and resources they need to succeed. The new infrastructure includes smart classrooms, a comprehensive library, and collaborative spaces that encourage interdisciplinary learning and research,” said Jaiswal.

IIM Visakhapatnam campus ‘amazing’

The new campuses are meant to attract students. The new IIMs hope the good boarding facilities, aesthetically-pleasing campuses, and modern infrastructure will give them an edge in the competition for students.

“The campus is amazing. 10 years down the line, this will be one of the prettiest campuses among all IIMs. Right now, IIM Kozhikode is the prettiest campus but after a few years this campus will be known as the most beautiful campus…I think the campus will bring in more students because it is getting good coverage as some YouTubers have done some videos on it. I have spoken to a lot of students, some chose IIM Visakhapatnam over some other IIMs just because of the campus,” said Sushant Singh, a second-year student at IIM Visakhapatnam.

“We have good hostels, cafeteria, library, amphitheatre, everything that a new-generation IIM has. Hostels are single-occupancy rooms, with a few double-occupancy rooms. The hostel is fully furnished and has every basic amenities. The cleaning facilities are very good,” said Singh.