Inside Plaksha’s First Graduating Class: 55% Enter, AI, ML, and Data Science Roles

For students considering a BTech today, one question has become difficult to ignore: If AI can write code, what exactly is an engineering degree preparing you to do?

The first graduating class of Plaksha University offers a practical way to answer that question, through what students actually go on to do after graduation.

The Class of 2025 consisted of 81 students who moved into roles across software engineering, AI/ML, data science, consulting, product, finance, startups, and research. Together, these outcomes reflect not just placement, but the kinds of problems graduates are stepping into.

Over half the cohort (55%) entered software, AI, and data roles. A further 30% moved into consulting, analytics, and business-facing positions.

This spread shows that outcomes are not concentrated in a single track. Students are moving across both core technical and applied, decision-oriented roles.

The placement cycle saw 55 companies participate, 32 hire, and 81 roles offered.

A third of the cohort entering startups, alongside strong representation in technology, finance, and consulting, reflects a wide spread of career paths rather than a single dominant pipeline.

Students were hired by organizations including:

• McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group
• Flipkart, Wayfair, Whatfix, Nagarro
• DE Shaw, Jefferies, JM Financial
• Fractal Analytics, GlobalData
• Pixxel, Sarvam AI, LAT Aerospace

These organizations span consulting, technology, finance, analytics, and high-growth startups, indicating demand across both established firms and emerging companies.

The Plaksha Class of 2025, the university’s first graduating class, saw strong outcomes across technology and business roles in the placements 2025 cycle. Graduates moved into AI/ML jobs, data science roles, software engineering, consulting, finance, product, and startup opportunities, reflecting the breadth of career paths available to Plaksha alumni.

All 52 students who opted for industry roles were placed, while 27% (22 students) chose higher education and research. A smaller set of students also pursued entrepreneurship, with 4 student-founded ventures emerging from the cohort.

Admissions for higher studies include institutions such as Carnegie Mellon, University of Pennsylvania, UC San Diego, NYU, and the University of Chicago.

Taken together, these outcomes point to a cohort splitting across industry, research, and startups rather than converging on a single outcome.

Here's what Liza Wahi, who secured an offer from McKinsey, had to say about her journey.

The outcomes of this first cohort point to a shift in what an engineering degree needs to prepare students for.

As AI automates parts of coding and development, engineering roles are expanding beyond implementation. Students are increasingly expected to work across systems, data, and decision-making contexts.

That shift is reflected here in the mix of roles, the spread of sectors, and the balance between industry and research pathways.

At Plaksha, this is approached directly: technology and innovation are treated as tools to solve real problems, and students are trained to work across multiple lenses, technical, analytical, and applied.

1. Building Technology
   Software engineering, AI/ML, and data science roles.
2. Applying Technology
   Consulting, analytics, product, and finance roles.
3. Advancing Knowledge
   Higher education and research, chosen by 27% of the cohort.

Students are not limited to one path. They are able to move across these directions depending on interest and opportunity.

The Class of 2025 also reflects a strong emphasis on access and diversity.

• ~85% of students received scholarships or financial aid
• Students came from 43 cities across 20 states
• ~35% of the cohort are women

Admissions are need-blind, with support based on merit, financial need, and leadership potential.

From this first cohort, a few things are clear.

Students are not entering just one kind of role. They are distributed across technology, consulting, finance, startups, and research. Employers across sectors are hiring into roles that require both technical ability and broader problem-solving skills.

And a meaningful share of the cohort is choosing to go deeper — into research and advanced study.

For students considering a BTech today, the question is shifting.

Not just “Will this degree get me placed?”
But “What kinds of problems will I be ready to work on?”

Applications are open for the upcoming BTech intake.

Apply Here

Dhruv Govind