Top 5 Colleges and Universities in India to Network with the Super Rich
1- University of Mumbai
While Harvard, Stanford, and Yale are the favourites of India’s richest rich, Mumbai University has a fair share of college-going kids from some of the richest and most powerful families in India. In 2013, Wealth-X research revealed that the University of Mumbai has the highest percentage of ultra-high net worth (UNHW) alumni. Established in 1857, the alumni of this university include the likes of Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Gavaskar. The research also revealed that 44% of the multi-millionaire alumni who have graduated from Mumbai University are self-made. The university has more super-rich on its alumni list than Cambridge University or Brown University.
In 2019, a study was done on more than 500 Indians with a net worth of more than Rs 6.5 crore. It found that less than a fifth of them went abroad for higher studies. 26% of the high net worth Indians opted to enrol in the University of Mumbai.
2- University of Delhi
The colonial-era mansions and the broad, tree-lined roads of the Lutyens Bungalow Zone in Delhi is home to India’s Prime Minister and President. It is also a much-coveted address for the super-wealthy Indians. From telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal to steel baron Lakshmi Mittal – all own a mansion in the Lutyens. Delhi has more than 160 super-rich with a cumulative wealth of about Rs 7 crores!
Naturally, the University of Delhi has seen many multi-billionaires roaming around its campus. But DU is not only a place for rich spoiled brats. This university is known for its diversity. Students from all backgrounds with different perspectives study together here. The cut-offs at Delhi University are ridiculously high (both for on-campus and off-campus colleges) and once you get admission, you’ll have to work hard to pass the course.
Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College and Miranda House for Women, St. Stephen’s College and Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) are some of the DU colleges where you will find the highest concentration of children of most rich, most famous, and powerful people of Delhi (and India).
Annual fests in DU and weekend trips to Hauzkhas are your best bet to enter the power networking group.
3- IITs
Ankit Bhati, the co-founder of Ola, did B.Tech and M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2011. Binny Bansal, the co-founder of Flipkart, graduated from IIT Delhi in 2005. Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal is an alumnus of IIT Delhi too. Vaibhav Gupta, a co-founder of Udaan, did his B.Tech from IIT Delhi. Deepak Garg, the founder of Rivigo holds a B.Tech degree from IIT Kanpur. Google CEO Sundar Pichai holds a degree in Metallurgy from IIT Kharagpur.
The thing about IITs is that the fellow students you befriend there may come from different backgrounds – super-rich, rich, upper-middle-class, middle-class, and poor – but they all have the potential to rise and create wealth. Older IITs (especially IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay) offer you better chances to enter the group of powerful industry leaders of the future.