VIJAYAWADA: Seventeen-year-old Akarsh Chittineni from Vijayawada has achieved what most can only dream of. He is the only student from Andhra Pradesh and one of just six from India to gain admission to Duke University, ranked sixth globally in the QS World University Rankings 2025.
With this, Akarsh joins an elite league of global scholars, having secured admission offers from 40 prestigious universities in the United States, along with scholarship offers worth a staggering Rs 25 crore. He is set to step onto the world stage this August (Fall).
Set to pursue engineering at Duke, Akarsh stands out not just for his academic brilliance but also for a holistic profile marked by service, leadership, and creativity. The acceptance rate at Duke this year dropped to just 3.25%, underscoring the extraordinary merit behind his selection.
A student of Delhi Public School, Vijayawada, Akarsh has been the school topper for six consecutive years. He earlier clinched a gold medal for topping the CBSE Class 10 exams at KCP Siddhartha Public School. With a 98th percentile SAT score, an IELTS band of 8.5, and distinctions in four Advanced Placement exams, he was named the AP Scholar with Honours. He also received a full-ride scholarship to study multivariable calculus at Stanford University’s prestigious pre-collegiate programme.
Beyond academics, Akarsh is a national-level badminton player and a member of NASA HERC 2023’s award-winning team. He also set a national record for reciting the most digits of the square root of five. His passion for social impact led him to found Sarve Vidya, a non-profit initiative that has reached over 7,000 underprivileged students. His cultural campaign Telugu Pandits has helped over 1,000 youth reconnect with their roots.
“My journey has been about more than just college admissions. It’s about learning with purpose and using that knowledge to uplift others,” Akarsh told TNIE. “Duke University is where I hope to grow not just as a student, but as a change maker. Over the next four years at Duke, I want to explore tech, entrepreneurship, and more. My dream is to become an entrepreneur who creates real change. This journey is not just about a degree, it’s about purpose,” he said. Akarsh’s parents — Vijay Mohan Chittineni, a businessman, and Prasanthi Dandamudi, an executive manager at Efftronics — expressed their pride and joy. “Akarsh has always been curious and empathetic,” said his father.
“His joint family upbringing and early education at Vikasa Vidya Vanam played a key role in shaping him. His sincerity and vision have always been unwavering. Watching his dreams come true is deeply fulfilling, says his mother.
