IIM Kozhikode's New Class: 59% Women, Breaking Barriers

Women now make up nearly 6 in 10 students at one of India's most prestigious business programs, marking a dramatic shift in who leads the next generation of Indian business.

The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode welcomed 120 students to its Bachelor of Management Studies program this month, with 71 women and 49 men. It's the second year of the four-year undergraduate program, and female representation jumped to 59%.

The diversity doesn't stop at gender. Students come from 18 different Indian states and territories, bringing perspectives from Maharashtra to Kerala to Tamil Nadu. More than half studied commerce in high school, while 39% came from science backgrounds and the rest from arts and other fields.

IIM Kozhikode launched this program as the first full-time undergraduate degree from any of India's top three business schools. The school teaches classes at its new Urban Learning Centre in Kochi, designed specifically for the next generation of students.

The four-year curriculum blends traditional management education with modern necessities like artificial intelligence, behavioral sciences, and data analytics. Students can customize their education with minors in everything from machine learning to public policy to liberal studies.

The Ripple Effect

This majority-female class sends ripples far beyond one school's enrollment numbers. In a country where women hold just 15% of senior management positions according to recent studies, seeing them dominate admissions at an elite business school rewrites expectations.

The students will access international exchanges, research projects, and industry internships through the school's network. They're learning in a program aligned with India's National Education Policy, which emphasizes flexible, interdisciplinary learning over rigid specialization.

Maharashtra sent the most students with 19, followed by Telangana with 18 and Kerala with 12. These young people represent a generation that sees business leadership differently than their parents did.

When business schools that once graduated predominantly male classes now welcome majority-female cohorts, it changes who sits in boardrooms a decade from now. These 71 women aren't just students; they're the architects of a more balanced future in Indian business.