Google, AWS and Microsoft Are Helping Build the Next Generation of Engineers at Polaris

Students gain access to industry-built curricula and funded certifications, while earning global opportunities worth up to ₹5.7 lakh through programmes such as Google Summer of Code and Linux Foundation Mentorship

Every year, nearly 15 lakh engineering students graduate in India. Most spend four years preparing for companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft, hoping their education will eventually help them land a job at one of these organisations.

Polaris School of Technology has taken a different approach.

Instead of teaching students how to get noticed by these companies, Polaris has partnered with Google, AWS and Microsoft to help shape the learning experience itself. These companies are not placement partners. They are education partners helping bring industry tools, certifications, infrastructure and expertise directly into the classroom. This approach is designed to reduce the growing gap between traditional engineering education and the realities of modern software development.

Closing the Gap Between College and Industry

Technology today runs on cloud infrastructure, AI systems and open-source software. Yet much of engineering education continues to rely on outdated curricula and limited industry exposure.

Through its partnership with Google, Polaris has launched one of India's first Computer Science pathways built around Google-certified Cloud & Big Data learning. Students gain access to Google Cloud, Gemini tools and funded certification pathways. AWS contributes specialised learning experiences, workshops and cloud credits for students building products, while Microsoft Azure provides ecosystem access, startup support and industry-recognised certifications. These partnerships ensure students learn on the same tools and platforms used by leading technology companies worldwide.

Outcomes, Not Just Partnerships

The real test of any educational model is the outcomes it creates.

Polaris has also emerged as a meeting ground between students and the global technology ecosystem. Over the last year, several leading technology companies and developer communities have chosen the campus to host flagship India events. OpenAI engineers worked alongside more than 600 students during AI Engineers Day, Replit selected Polaris as its first India partner and hosted a hackathon that attracted over 1,200 participants, while organisations such as Emergent, Entrepreneurs First and Lyzr have mentored students through intensive product-building sprints focused on AI, startups and software development.

This year, 18 Polaris students were selected for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2026, one of the world's most competitive student coding programmes, which accepted just 4.9% of applicants globally. Another 13 students secured selections into the Linux Foundation's prestigious LFX Mentorship Programme, where contributors work on open-source projects that power much of the world's digital infrastructure.

Many of these students come from towns such as Balaghat, Jorhat, Puri, Ranaghat and Sadabad. Several are first-generation technology professionals from families of farmers, small business owners and government employees.

Harsh Somankar, a student from Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, who was selected for GSoC, said, "Nobody in my family works in technology, so growing up I had very little exposure to opportunities like these. I never thought I would one day be contributing code to projects maintained by global engineering communities or earning a stipend that is larger than what I imagined possible as a student. This selection feels bigger than just a programme. It has shown me that where you come from does not determine how far you can go."

The selected students are contributing to technologies spanning Kubernetes security, software supply-chain security, blockchain infrastructure, distributed systems and the RISC-V ecosystem while working alongside mentors from the US, UK, Japan and Israel.

Building Global Engineers From Day One

Commenting on Polaris' approach, Mukul Rustagi, CEO of Polaris School of Technology, said:

"India has never had a talent problem. The challenge is that technology evolves much faster than traditional education. We wanted to bring the world's best tools,industry practices and tech ecosystems directly into the learning process. When students start working on real systems from the beginning, they develop the confidence and capabilities to compete globally."

The exposure extends well beyond the classroom. Polaris students have already interned, collaborated and contributed to projects across 11 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan and the UAE. Many of these experiences have been secured while students are still in their first year, giving them access to international engineering teams and real-world product development environments far earlier than traditional engineering pathways typically allow.

Real Outcomes While Still in College

Beyond global recognition, these opportunities also create meaningful financial outcomes. Students selected into Google Summer of Code and Linux Foundation programmes are eligible to receive stipends of approximately US$3,000 (around ₹2.85 lakh), while one Polaris student selected through the OpenSSF track will receive US$6,000 (around ₹5.7 lakh).

For Polaris, these outcomes reinforce a simple belief: when students gain access to world-class mentors, infrastructure and engineering communities from the start of their college journey, they can contribute to globally significant technology long before they graduate.