BITS Pilani Awards Degrees to Over 15,000 Working Professionals at WILP Convocation

Over 15,153 working professionals received their degrees across 30 disciplines at the BITS Pilani Work Integrated Learning Programmes (WILP) convocation held on Sunday, August 23, 2026.

The event took place at the BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus. The graduating cohort was double the size of the previous year's batch. The milestone event included over 2,000 women learners, 167 medical doctors, 60 defence personnel, and 80 international learners representing 15 countries.

In terms of sector breakdown, technology and digital domains accounted for 46 per cent of the graduating class. Meanwhile, 35 per cent of the graduates represented critical engineering, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors.

Speaking at the event, V Ramgopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani, noted that the institution combines rigorous academics with simulation tools designed for adult learners, enabling graduates to apply their learning directly in their workplaces.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chancellor of BITS Pilani, stated that the graduation of over 15,000 professionals reflects an agile and future-ready workforce contributing to the nation's economic resilience and technological capabilities.

"The scale of this graduating cohort highlights the growing importance of continuous upskilling and work-integrated learning for working professionals in India. As industries across technology, manufacturing, and healthcare evolve rapidly, programs that allow individuals to learn while staying employed directly strengthen the talent pool available to businesses, startups, and enterprises alike." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes