Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is committed to making education a means of empowerment and ensuring that every aspiring student has equitable access to educational opportunities. To promote an inclusive learning environment, the University has developed Women Access Schemes for school students who aspire to pursue higher education at Amrita. These schemes bring together scholarships, mentoring programmes and other forms of support designed to remove barriers to higher education and create opportunities for young women to develop their potential.
1.1 Examples of Recent Scholarships Specifically Created for Women to Facilitate Access to Higher Studies
1.1.1 Rekha Eipe Memorial Scholarship
In March 2025, Fathima A received the Rekha Eipe Memorial Scholarship for Women’s Empowerment and Education.
The Rekha Eipe Memorial Scholarship for Women’s Empowerment and Education supports at least one female student each year pursuing the two-year residential Master of Social Work (MSW) programme at Amritapuri. It provides full tuition fees to students with demonstrated financial need and recognises academic achievement, civic engagement and compassionate character in young women committed to social service and community improvement. Established as an endowment fund, the scholarship provides sustained financial support to talented women pursuing the MSW programme at Amrita.
1.1.2 One-shot scholarship campaigns: Amrita continues 20% scholarships for all women enrolling in Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham online programmes
On International Women’s Day 2025 (8 March), Amrita Online offered a 20% scholarship on first-semester fees to women enrolling in its UGC-entitled online degree programmes.
The initiative aimed to make higher education more accessible to women across India and support their academic and professional aspirations.
The scholarship was available until 28 March 2025, with Amrita Online’s programmes delivered fully online to provide flexibility for students balancing education with personal and professional commitments.
The initiative complemented Amrita Online’s broader scholarship offerings, including scholarships of up to 100% for eligible candidates.
2.1 Virtual Career Counselling Workshops for Women Before Admission to Computer Science Engineering
In 2025, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, in collaboration with the ICPC Foundation, organised ICPC AlgoQueen 2025, a global competitive programming competition for school girls from 8th to 12th grade. The competition was also open to female college students. In 2025, 188 students from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham participated.
The initiative provided a dedicated and supportive platform for girls to develop coding skills, confidence and problem-solving abilities. Participants from schools and universities had opportunities to compete, collaborate with peers and showcase their programming skills.
Through mentorship, training and competition, the initiative provided women students with targeted opportunities to develop their programming skills and confidence. It also encouraged young women to view programming as both a valuable career skill and an engaging field of learning.
2.2 AMMACHI Labs STEM Skills Development and Support for Girls and Young Women
2.2.1 Atal Tinkering Labs
The Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), an initiative of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, provide creative workspaces for innovation, curiosity and STEM learning, equipped with 3D printers, robotics kits and digital tools.
For the past nine years, AMMACHI Labs researchers have supported ATL setups across Amrita Vidyalayam schools in India, mentoring 707 students, including 301 girl students (43%), through the Second Foundation Initiative. In February and August 2025, 38 of the 93 students trained were girls.
As part of the Amritavarsham 72 celebrations, seven Amrita Vidyalayam ATL schools—Mangaluru, Nagapattinam, Trichy, Chennai, Puthiyakavu, Thalassery, and Amrita Kairali Vidya Bhavan (Trivandrum)—showcased their innovations on September 26–27, 2025.
Through mentoring, hands-on learning and access to technology, the initiative provides girl students with opportunities to develop their skills, creativity and confidence.
2.2.2 She STEM – Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham women mentoring program
In November 2024, the SheSTEM 2024 competition, hosted by the Office of Science & Innovation, Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission and Nordic partners, invited students in grades 6–12 to develop innovative ideas on battery technology and energy storage.
Dr. Gayathri Manikutty, Assistant Professor at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Senior Researcher at AMMACHI Labs, mentored 28 girl students from Amrita Vidyalayam who participated in the project and presented their innovations through practical demonstrations. Their projects included bio-based battery electrodes, sustainable energy solutions, plastic waste-to-fuel conversion, and solar-powered chargers.
3.1 he Kaleidoscope of Healing Symposium: Pre-Admission Academic Exposure and Mentoring
The School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (SSBS) organised the Electric and Integrated Approach to Brief Therapies Symposium one month before the PGDCP admissions campaign at the Coimbatore–Arasampalayam campus. The pre-admission initiative gave prospective students an opportunity to experience the Amrita campus and engage with its academic and professional environment. The event brought together 210 students and practitioners, including 185 participants from outside institutions, with more than 185 student participants being women. Through plenary sessions, guided practice and feedback from experienced academics and practitioners, participants received mentoring and skills-development support, including an Art Therapy practicum and practical introduction to Brief Therapy. The initiative provided women students with direct exposure to higher education and professional pathways in Psychology and Social Work at Amrita before the admissions period.
At Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, women’s empowerment and gender equality are translated into concrete action through initiatives supporting students and programme beneficiaries. These efforts foster an inclusive and supportive environment while demonstrating to prospective students and their families how the University’s principles are reflected in practice.
4.1 UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is hosting India’s UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, renewed in October 2024 for a third consecutive four-year term.
Through the Centre for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality, the Chair supports research, training and programmes empowering women and girls through vocational and life-skills training and technology. More than 300,000 women have benefited from these projects in India and Africa, inspiring applicants and students to pursue or continue their education at Amrita.
4.2 Anti-Discrimination Committees
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has established anti-discrimination committees in accordance with the UGC regulations on equity and grievance redressal. The committees address discrimination affecting access to education, including discrimination based on gender, and provide institutional mechanisms for students to raise and address such concerns.
These measures help safeguard equitable access to education for women students.
4.3 Targeted Support for Women Students
Amrita provides targeted opportunities supporting women students’ academic and professional development, including:
These initiatives provide women students with additional opportunities to develop skills, pursue academic and professional interests, and participate in higher education.
4.4 Grace Hopper Celebration India 2025: Access to Professional and Technology Exposure for Women Students
In December 2025, 22 women students, primarily from Amrita’s Bengaluru campus, participated in the Grace Hopper Celebration India 2025 (GHCI 2025) in Bengaluru. Organised by AnitaB.org India, part of a global nonprofit dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of women and nonbinary individuals in computing and technology, the event provided access to a major professional and technology forum.
Students engaged in networking and sessions on AI, leadership, data and digital technologies, entrepreneurship and social impact, gaining exposure to professional networks and emerging developments in technology. The event brought together 10,000+ participants and formed part of the Women for Ethical AI South Asia Chapter (W4EAISAC) initiative.
