Alumni couple donates $4 million to BITS Pilani; deserving students to benefit

Hyderabad: BITS Pilani recently announced a landmark USD 4 million donation from a US-based alumnus couple, Chand P Garg (1968 batch) and his wife Manju Garg, marking the highest individual contribution ever made by an alumnus to the institution.

A Mechanical Engineering graduate from BITS Pilani, Chand Garg is a seasoned entrepreneur in international trade and credits his education at BITS as the foundation for his professional success and lifelong learning.

BITS Pilani has established a USD 100 million Endowment Fund, the first-of-its -kind among non-government higher education institutions in India, of which over USD 34 million has already been secured in pledges and receipts from its global alumni community.

The Endowment Fund is aimed at supporting the institute’s transformation into a globally ranked university by strengthening faculty excellence, research capacity, student scholarships, and global engagement, reflecting growing alumni-led philanthropy and strong confidence in BITS Pilani’s long-term vision.

The couple, through the donation, aims to support 16 meritorious students every year, with a special focus on girls from financially constrained backgrounds, enabling them to pursue and complete their education at BITS Pilani.

Garg described BITS as the ‘starting point’ of his journey and hopes that deserving students benefit from the same transformative opportunities that shaped his life.

Prof. V Ramgopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor, said: “This extraordinary gesture from Chand and Manju Garg represents the very best of the BITSian spirit — gratitude, excellence and a deep commitment to paying it forward. Their generosity will create a lasting impact by enabling talented students to pursue a BITS education irrespective of financial constraints. Such alumni-led philanthropy strengthens our mission of combining academic excellence with inclusivity and access.

Chand P Garg said: “I feel deeply indebted to BITS Pilani — whatever I could achieve in life, it started from the education I received at this very place. Through this donation, my wife and I believe we are just relaying the means to ensure that deserving students with financial need can experience the same transformative education that shaped my journey.”

Prof. Sudhirkumar Barai, Director, Pilani Campus, said: “This historic contribution reflects the deep and enduring bond that BITS alumni share with their alma mater. Chand Garg’s generosity exemplifies how alumni can play a pivotal role in expanding access to education and nurturing future leaders. We are deeply grateful to the Garg family for setting a new benchmark in alumni philanthropy at BITS Pilani.”

BITS, from its inception as a university in 1964, has been offering science and technology education, with exposure to liberal arts, management, economics, and finance.

A Ford Foundation grant and the collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA in the 1960s made it possible to provide many firsts in Indian higher education system such as the semester system, credit-based course catalogue providing academic flexibilities, practice school providing industry exposure, amongst other innovations.