Avanti Fellows

15/08/2026

Freedom means many things to many people; for our students...

It means finding their voice, building confidence, and discovering parts of themselves they didn't know existed.

It means entering spaces where their stories and experiences, hitherto underrepresented, deserve to be presented too.

It means discovering new ways to learn, think, express themselves, and grow. And bringing that growth back home.

And this Independence Day, we are proud to share that 300 of our students are joining India’s top institutions this year - the IITs, NITs, and IIITs.
These bright young minds will go on to shape the country in their own ways - influencing policy, building companies, advancing research, creating opportunities, and contributing to the communities they come from.

For most of them, this is a first; first in their families to enter a premier institution. The first to walk into rooms where students from their towns and communities have rarely been seen before - knowing they belong there.

When one student takes the first step, another begins to believe it is possible. And slowly, that belief becomes a path for many more to follow.

That is the kind of freedom we envision for every child - the freedom to choose their future, to go further than their circumstances might have allowed, and to open doors for those who come after them.

Happy Independence Day!

**Disclaimer: Some images used in the graphic are for representational purposes



[Indian Independence Day, August 15th, Youth of today, Next Gen India, Social Impact, Education for All, First Gen Learners, Dream big, IIT, NIT, IIIT, Rural Education, Changemakers, Government school students, Students of India, Skill India ]

07/08/2026

Lakhs of students across India study for years to clear some of the hardest exams in the world - often doing it quietly, under immense pressure, and with far less support than they deserve.
At Avanti Fellows, we work to make sure that effort isn’t the only thing students have. We back high-potential students from under-resourced communities with the guidance, structure, and steady support it takes to compete - because talent is everywhere, but access isn’t.
This year, our results pointed us towards something important: we’ve seen a steep rise in students qualifying over the last five years, a student from our low-touch program reached the 99.7th percentile, and we’re still only scratching the surface of how many students could thrive if the right access reached them in time.
This is why this work is crucial. When access shows up, outcomes follow - and students don’t just improve scores; they get a clear shot at redefining their futures.

24/07/2026

14/07/2026

Our co-founder and co-CEO Akshay Saxena is finally making his debut on our podcast!

On this episode of Yes She Can!, he steps behind the microphone to talk to his good friends and allies – Head of the Godrej DEI Lab and best-selling author, Parmesh Shahani, and journalist and Head, Research and Media at the Godrej Foundation and Godrej DEI Lab, Supriya Nair.

Parmesh and Supriya talk about the importance of diversity and inclusion in workplaces, what it means to be a good ally and how with true allyship, the utopia of equity need not be a distant dream but an achievable reality.

YouTube link in bio. Happy viewing and listening!

22/06/2026

Have you watched episode 2 of the latest season of our podcast, Yes She Can?? It's a good one, don't miss it! Link in bio.

09/06/2026

Watch best friends Vandana Goyal and Kaneez Surka take on a quick-fire round—and see how well they actually know each other.

Catch the Season 2 of the Avanti: Yes She Can if you missed it. Link in bio!

Fun fact: Kaneez once played a character named "Vandana Goyal” in the short web series Better Life Foundation — inspired by the actual Vandana Goyal.

Stay tuned for next week’s episode, dropping 15 June 2026.

01/06/2026

Kicking off a brand new season of Avanti: Yes She Can!, our host Vandana switches things around. In this episode, she’s passing the mic to Avanti alum, Priyanka Palshetkar, as she takes a seat in the guest chair alongside her friend — comedian, actor and producer, Kaneez Surka. Together, they talk to Priyanka about supporting each other through hardships, laughing at inside jokes even 20 years later and what it really means to show up for one another.

28/05/2026

Our friends at Social Footprint captured the wonderful celebration of our 15 year anniversary on May 26, at IFBE in Mumbai!

02/03/2026

Students! May we have your attention, please?

So…you’ve got your JEE Main percentile. Now comes the real question: “Okay… but what does this actually mean for me? Which college will I get?” Choosing a college is a big decision. Clarity is crucial.

Avanti’s College Predictor is here to help. Just select the exam, input your gender, state, category rank and see the list of colleges and courses that you can get. You can download and share the list too. Just watch the video below and see how you can make it work for you!

Don’t know your rank? We’ve got you covered — you can now estimate your category rank by simply entering your percentile.

“How do I know if the college I’m getting has good placements?” We added the official NIRF salary data of the college to help you with that. You can even sort the list by the salary column.

And the best part — it’s free to use, no login or sign up needed, no ads, no personal data collected. More than 16,000 students have already used it, check it out now by visiting this link: https://lnkd.in/gna6m2pq

26/02/2026

In the JEE Main 1 2026 results, nearly 400 girls from our high-touch programs appeared for the exam. About 1 in 3 qualified, and around 60 girls are likely to get into NITs based on 2025 cut-offs.

For Avanti Fellows, these numbers represent a profound shift. Many of these students are first-generation learners from rural India, stepping into a field where women—especially from their backgrounds—have historically been underrepresented.

This is our mission in action: ensuring that a girl’s potential is defined by her talent, not her geography or gender. Every girl securing an NIT seat today is paving the way for a generation of women scientists and engineers from rural India tomorrow.