OpenAI, the company behind the AI LLM Model ChatGPT, has announced partnerships with six public and private higher education institutions in India. The partnership will eventually expand into institutions covering engineering, management, medicine and design. The first set of campuses includes the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D), the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
According to OpenAI, this partnership will eventually reach more than 1,00,000 students, faculty members, and staff over the next year.
Why is OpenAI partnering with institutions?
Ever since the first wave of AI arrived in India, it has been limited to individual users experimenting with chatbots. Therefore to further push deeper into the Indian higher education system in India. Through these partnerships, campuses will get access to ChatGPT Education tools, faculty training tools and frameworks focused on responsible use.
The emphasis is on encouraging students to use AI more for everyday academic work, from coding and research to analytics and case discussions, rather than treating it as a separate productivity tool.
Why is OpenAI interested in India?
After the United States, India is the second-largest market for OpenAI. The latter has more than 100 million people, making it the company’s second-largest user base after the US. Yet, consumer scale alone does not guarantee long-term influence. By working directly with colleges, OpenAI is positioning itself closer to how AI skills are taught and normalised among future engineers, managers, doctors, and designers.
Open AI launching two new courses in partnership!
Two partner institutions, IIM Ahmedabad and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, will also roll out OpenAI-backed certifications. Beyond campuses, the company plans to work with Indian ed-tech platforms, including Physics Wallah, upGrad, and HCL GUVI, to offer structured AI courses aimed at students and early-career professionals.
Raghav Gupta, head of education at OpenAI India, described educational institutions as a “critical route” for closing the gap between rapidly advancing AI tools and how people actually use them as skill demands change.
Google too helping students in JEE exams
OpenAI is not the only one attracting the vast young user base of students in India. Google, too, has doubled down on its efforts to attract students to use its AI tools. In January 2026, the company announced free mock JEE preparation tests on Google Gemini, unveiled during the India AI Summit 2026.