SAMBALPUR: There has been a significant increase in number of girl students taking admission in the Indian Institute of Management, Sambalpur (IIM-S) this year.
Around 50 per cent of the students who enrolled in the fifth batch of MBA (2019-21) on Monday were girls.
No girl student had taken admission in the institute in the last batch. Of the 95 students who registered for admission on the day, 52 are girls.
The IIM-S has doubled its intake capacity to 120 from 60 in the last academic session.
Admission into the institute is open till July 6.
The commencement ceremony of the fifth batch of MBA of the premier B-School was held at its temporary campus at Sambalpur University here on Monday.
Director of IIM-S Mahadeo Jaiswal said the number of girls who have taken admission in the institute is more compared to other IIMs in the country.
More girls are likely to take admission in the coming days, he said.
Jaiswal attributed the substantial increase in the number of girls in the current batch to proper communication about the institute, its reputation and good placement record.
He said earlier people thought that Sambalpur is not an ideal location for an IIM. However, efforts have been made to popularise the institution and its location in the last few years, he said.
Moreover, the policy decision to give relaxation to girl students in cut-off marks for admission is also another reason.
The cut-off mark for the male students is 95 percentile while the cut-off mark is 90 percentile for girl students, the Director explained.
A girl student of the fifth batch Samrudhi Kangude, who has completed her graduation in Economics from Fergusson College in Pune, said she had got a call from IIM-Indore but she opted for IIM-S.
This was due to the better performance and reputation of the institution. The placement record of last three years of IIM-S, is outstanding.
Besides, presence of good faculty is another advantage, he said.
The institute welcomed the students with beginning of a week-long orientation programme in the presence of President, Refinery Business, Reliance Industries Limited P Raghavendran, Vice Chancellor, Sambalpur University Deepak Behera and Jaiswal. IIM-S has also launched Ph D programme from the session.