Free coaching initiative helps hundreds secure IIM admissions

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Sahil Sameer, Mohammed Shahid, Sebbin Joshy and Amith Tony Joseph, founders of the OpenGrad Foundation.

Sahil Sameer, Mohammed Shahid, Sebbin Joshy and Amith Tony Joseph, founders of the OpenGrad Foundation.

Challenging the dominance of costly backstage coaching centres, a mentor-led non-profit organisation is providing escaped coaching to students to tackle entranceway examinations.

Led by alumni of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore on with professionals from exertion and absorption backgrounds, the OpenGrad Foundation offers escaped coaching for Common Admission Test (CAT) arsenic good arsenic different MBA entranceway examinations.

The organisation, founded by Sahil Sameer, Sebbin Joshy, Mohammed Shahid, and Amith Tony Joseph connects aspirants with mentors who person precocious cleared these exams, offering structured survey plans, unrecorded online classes, recorded sessions without expiry, mock tests and interrogation preparation.

A autochthonal of Kozhikode, Mr. Sahil told The Hindu that the inaugural emerged from what helium describes arsenic a structural spread successful the acquisition system. “Schools are not measured by what happens to students aft Class 12. But entree to a bully assemblage contiguous depends connected cracking competitory exams. That is wherever galore students request guidance,” helium said, adding that higher acquisition enables some economical mobility and broader societal exposure.

The programme began modestly with 80 CAT aspirants successful May 2023 selected done an exertion process based connected economical criteria; 47 secured admissions to concern schools. The pursuing year, 500 students enrolled, with 101 entering IIM. Many alumni subsequently returned arsenic mentors, expanding the unpaid web to much than 1,000 and reinforcing what the founders described arsenic a adjacent to adjacent mentorship model.

Ankith Suman, present pursuing his MBA astatine IIM Ahmedabad, prepared for CAT successful 2023 utilizing OpenGrad’s YouTube classes and mentor guidance. He scored 99.8 percentile and aboriginal secured admittance to the institute. “It was not conscionable syllabus oriented. There was motivation, and importantly, guidance successful Malayalam, which is rare,” helium said. He added that mock interviews conducted during an aboriginal bootcamp successful Kochi helped him during his IIM interview. “From strategy sessions to knowing the admittance process, I had enactment until I walked into the college,” helium said, noting that helium had avoided paid coaching owed to what helium considered “exorbitant” fees.

Meanwhile, Sri Lakshmi N.S., a Kollam autochthonal moving astatine Technopark, enrolled aft a person gained admittance to IIM Raipur done the programme. “They springiness a wide program earlier starting. The people recordings person nary expiry, and we tin inquire doubts adjacent astir admissions,” she said, adding that candid discussions astir MBA specialisations helped her marque informed choices.

Published - February 12, 2026 08:34 p.m. IST

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