IIT is not just an institution, it is a dream fueled by lakhs of aspirants in India. They move to places like the Kota factory to fulfill their dreams and reach this prestigious university. However, over time, grades lose their value. Thanks to AI. In a world that is flooded with information, one question repeatedly makes students uncomfortable: Is an elite college degree still worth it?
As artificial intelligence reshapes learning and challenges the traditional value of university degrees, Anahad CEO and IIT Bombay alumnus Shikhar Agrawal argues that the institution’s biggest return on investment was not its prestigious tag, but the transformative peer environment that continues to shape ambition, innovation and lifelong growth.
For many students preparing for highly competitive entrance exams, the question goes beyond tuition fees or salary packages. It’s about whether years of relentless preparation still make sense when AI seems capable of providing information on demand.It is precisely the debate that prompted the entrepreneur Shikhar Agrawal, co-founder and CEO of Anahad, to reflect on what his years IIT Bombay really mean.
A question that refuses to go away
Five years after leaving IIT Bombay and building his own business, Agrawal says a demand continues to follow him.“Was IIT really worth it, or was it just hype?”The question, he noted in a recent LinkedIn post, has become even more relevant in the AI era. With AI conversational tools capable of explaining almost any concept, many believe that the value of traditional degrees is beginning to fade.Agrawal, who graduated with a BTech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2021, acknowledged that AI has fundamentally changed access to knowledge. Information, once locked away in classrooms, textbooks and expensive courses, is now available to almost anyone with an Internet connection.However, he argues, this is precisely why people do not understand the real return on investment of studying in an institution like the IIT.
The greatest lesson was never taught in a classroom
Agrawal’s argument departs sharply from the conventional narrative surrounding elite institutions. It is not because of the classroom lectures, the academic program, nor the prestige that comes with studying in an IIT that he attributes most of his success.On the contrary, for him, the greatest gift of this educational institution is found in something intangible, but long-lasting, and that would be its people.For him, spending four years around people who were so ambitious and gifted made him realize how much more he could aspire to in life.Being around peers who continue to create, question, solve hard problems, and dream big changed his perspective entirely. Influence, he suggests, did not come through formal instruction, but through daily exposure to excellence.
The goldfish analogy
To explain his perspective, Agrawal turned to an analogy that resonated widely online. A goldfish, he wrote, grows according to the environment in which it lives. Put it in a small bowl, and it remains only a few centimeters long. Move to a bigger aquarium, and grow bigger. Put it in a pond, and its growth develops even more.For Agrawal, IIT Bombay was that pond. The comparison was not about better buildings, labs or campus facilities. It was the environment created by thousands of students who were constantly inspired, challenged and challenged.His message was simple: people often grow up to match the expectations and ambitions of those around them.
AI has changed the value equation
Ironically, Agrawal believes AI has enhanced, not weakened, his appreciation of that experience.AI has democratized information in ways unimaginable even a few years ago. Learning a programming language, understanding complex scientific concepts, or acquiring technical knowledge has become dramatically easier.Knowledge itself is no longer the scarce resource. What remains scarce, he argues, is an ecosystem that continually stretches individuals beyond their comfort zones.While algorithms can answer questions in seconds, they cannot replicate the subtle but powerful influence of spending years among people whose ambitions constantly raise the bar.That daily exposure to curiosity, innovation and healthy competition, Agrawal believes, shapes thinking in ways that no chatbot or search engine can.
The real return on investment
For decades, discussions about institutions like the IITs largely centered on placements, salary packages and global rankings.Agrawal’s reflection shifts the conversation elsewhere. Perhaps the true value of an elite institution lies less in the degree certificate and more in the invisible network of ideas, friendships, collaborations and intellectual challenges that students carry with them long after graduation.In an era where AI is rapidly closing the gap in access to knowledge, competitive advantage may increasingly come from something that technology is still struggling to recreate – the human ecosystem that encourages people to think bigger than they might otherwise.For students weighing whether the pursuit of an elite college is worth it, Agrawal’s answer is nuanced. The information available in an IIT classroom can be more easily accessed from anywhere. But the experience of growing up alongside thousands of exceptionally driven peers, he argues, remains one of the institution’s most enduring, and perhaps irreplaceable, advantages.
