The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) is set to launch its maiden undergraduate school in August on a separate campus located about 27 kilometres from the institute’s main campus.

Dinesh Kumar, director-in-charge, IIM-B, said the institute would admit undergraduate students through the newly established Dorabji Tata School of Undergraduate Studies, supported by a grant from Tata Trusts.

“This is the first time in IIM-B’s history that it is admitting 17-year-old students. We are very nervous, as we have never handled this age category before. We have just got used to 20-year-olds,” Prof. Kumar quipped while delivering the welcome address at IIMBue 2026, a two-day leadership conclave organised by the alumni association of IIM-B (IIIMBAA) here on Saturday.

He said the objective was not merely to start another undergraduate programme, but to build a world-class institution inspired by the legacy of the ancient Nalanda University.

The school would initially offer two four-year, full-time residential programmes, including a B.Sc. (Honours) in Economics, commencing in August itself.

The curriculum would integrate data science, economics and business studies into an interdisciplinary framework designed to prepare students for a complex, data-intensive market environment.

IIM-B would admit 40 students to each of these courses.

Referring to a recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he said nearly 95% of artificial intelligence (AI) projects fail because organisations lack a proper understanding of the technology.

“The responsibility of institutions like IIM Bangalore is to ensure that people have the right understanding of these technologies so that they create value and impact,” he added.