NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras honored 1,842 NPTEL stars from South India at a felicitation ceremony held on its campus on July 10, 2026. The recognition celebrated students who successfully completed and earned certifications in various courses offered through the National Program for Enhanced Technology Learning (NPTEL), one of the largest open world online (NPTEL) initiatives.The January-April 2026 semester saw 36.8 lakh enrollments on the NPTEL-SWAYAM platform, while 10,763 students across the country got NPTEL Star recognition. Among them, 8,011 students received the distinction for the first time. The South Zone represented 1,842 of the recognized learners.Recognition for sustained learningAn NPTEL Star is awarded to students who complete and earn certifications in multiple NPTEL courses within a semester. Depending on the number of courses certified, students receive recognition in categories such as Believer, Discipline Star, Super Star and Mega Star.The January-April 2026 semester offered 973 online courses covering engineering, science, management, humanities and interdisciplinary subjects. Around 12.6 lakh students also registered for proctored exams conducted in more than 200 cities.
IIT Madras honors 1,842 NPTEL stars from South India for outstanding achievements in lifelong learning across the country
Speaking at the event, Professor Prathap Haridoss, Dean (Academic Courses), IIT Madras, said, “NPTEL’s true success is not measured by the millions of enrolments alone, but by the lives it has transformed. Since its inception, NPTEL has strived to make IIT-quality education accessible to all, and today it is one of the flagship initiatives of MOTELOC which are the world’s best initiatives. It exists everywhere when opportunities are accessible.“Students share their experiencesThe event featured several learners whose academic and professional journeys were shaped through NPTEL.Among them was Gokulapriya C, a three-time NPTEL Superstar and NPTEL Pre-Doctoral Fellow, who completed 23 NPTEL courses before gaining admission to a marketing PhD program at IIT Roorkee.She said: “I want all women who want to re-enter their careers after marriage to hear this: with determination, we can achieve anything at any stage.”B. Satyaramamanohar A, Head of Department and NPTEL SPOC at Bhimavaram Institute of Engineering and Technology, has completed 49 NPTEL courses and earned 19 star recognitions. He said, “There are many online courses available, but NPTEL stands out from the rest, because it is more structured, with good videos and regular assignments.”Scholarship and GATE initiatives The program also highlighted the NPTEL Predoctoral Fellowship, which allows outstanding students to work with IIT faculty on research projects while receiving financial support.Another initiative presented was the NPTEL-GATE portal, which provides free resources like live lectures, mock tests and previous years question papers. According to IIT Madras, several top performing GATE candidates including Biotechnology AIR 1 Arnab Paul used the platform during their preparation.