Surat Summer School: Meet India’s New-Age Universities Without Leaving Surat
By Dr. Manish Mittal, Chief Counsellor, Global Careers, Surat. Updated October 2026.
Marks open the door. A profile gets you in. In May 2026, Surat Summer School brought 12 Indian universities to Surat for 42 students. Here is what a university summer school really is, what happened in Surat, and how you can tell us whether Surat wants a next edition.
12 universities · 12 bootcamps · 6 days, 18 to 23 May 2026 · 42 students
Why marks alone are no longer enough
A Surat student can spend two years preparing for JEE, NEET, CLAT, UCEED, CUET, the SAT or the Boards. Then choose a career for the next 30 to 40 years with almost no real exposure to it.
New-age universities such as Ashoka, FLAME, Krea, NMIMS and Masters' Union look beyond marks. They want to see curiosity, initiative and real work. That is what profile building means.
After more than 25 years of career counselling in Surat, Dr. Manish Mittal sees two Surats growing side by side. One has early access to internships, competitions and summer schools. The other is just as bright and hardworking, but has had far less exposure. Surat Summer School, a humble and pioneering initiative conceived by Dr. Manish Mittal of Global Careers, was created to narrow that gap.
What a university summer school is (and is not)
A summer school is a short programme in which a university's faculty teach school students in the university's own style. Seminars, case studies, projects and real deadlines.
It is not tuition. It does not teach the board syllabus.
It is not a hobby camp. It is a career test drive. A student tries a field before committing four years to it.
It does not guarantee admission. Its value is a clearer choice and something real to write about.
Looking for programmes across India for Class 8 to 12? See our guide to summer schools in India, checked against official university websites.
The cost question every Surat parent asks
Most university summer schools are held on campus, far from Surat. The programme fee is only the start. Travel, stay and a parent's time add up.
| Programme | Format | Published fee |
|---|---|---|
| Ashoka University Young Scholars Programme | Residential, 5 days | ₹49,500 + GST |
| Ashoka University Young Scholars Programme | Residential, 10 days | ₹85,000 + GST |
| Masters' Union Summer Skills Week, Gurugram | Day programme, 5 days (stay extra) | ₹44,999 per student |
Fees as published on the official websites for 2026. Checked in October 2026. Travel and stay are extra.
These programmes are excellent, and for many students they are worth it. Surat Summer School took another route: bring the universities to Surat, as a day programme. It was a paid programme, but the fee was kept deliberately low, a small fraction of what a residential summer school costs, so that it stayed accessible rather than commercial.
Surat Summer School 2026: what happened
From 18 to 23 May 2026, twelve universities ran twelve bootcamps in Surat for 42 students in Class 10 to 12, including a few who had just finished Class 12. It was a pilot, deliberately kept small and exclusive. Two three-hour sessions a day, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. The 2026 edition was held in collaboration with ProTalent.
| Date | University | Bootcamp | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 May | ISFB, Imarticus School of Finance & Business | Dragon's Den Simulation | Ms. Shagun Gaur |
| 18 May | FLAME University | Entrepreneurship Through Sociological Imagination | Prof. Anup Tripathi |
| 19 May | Masters' Union | Build Your Own Startup | Mr. Krishna Thakur and team |
| 19 May | NMIMS, Mumbai | Advertising Campaign Creation: From Idea to Execution | Ms. Neha Singh and Mr. Rishabh |
| 20 May | Mahindra University | Beyond Boundaries: Creativity + Engineering in the New Media Era | Dr. Deepak Pawar |
| 20 May | Ahmedabad University | Life Sciences | Mr. Vivek Tanavde |
| 21 May | Bennett University | Cosmos through AI & ML | Prof. Pratyush Pranav |
| 21 May | SP Jain, Mumbai | Idea to IPO | Mr. Hansel D'Souza |
| 22 May | Nayanta University | The Mathematics of Poetry in Ancient India | Dr. Srinivas Reddy |
| 22 May | Krea University | Understanding Human Beings: Perspective-Taking, Empathy, Decision Making | Dr. Akanksha Adya |
| 23 May | AURO University | Hands-on: Traditional Pinch Technique in Pottery | Prof. Juhika Deo |
| 23 May | Atlas SkillTech University, Mumbai | Design Thinking | Ms. Danielle Flanagan |
From startup pitches to ancient Indian mathematics, from pottery to the cosmos. Six days, twelve very different ways of thinking.
Each session combined the university's way of teaching with career awareness. Students did hands-on work, made presentations and asked faculty about careers in each field. There were no sales talks and no admission pitches. Only professors and experts from these universities, working with students.
What it did not offer: campus exposure. At a fee this low, taking students to each university's campus was not possible. Students who want to experience campus life may prefer one of the residential programmes in our summer schools in India guide.
What students said
After the programme, students filled in a reflection form. 27 of the 42 students responded. All 27 agreed that their feedback could be shared.
- 25 of 27 rated it 4 or 5 out of 5
- 26 of 27 said it met or exceeded their expectations
- 26 of 27 now understand careers and university pathways better
- 21 of 27 said a bootcamp changed how they think about a career, subject or university
The two things students rated highest were bringing universities to Surat and the quality of the faculty and sessions.
“Surat Summer School provides you with a trailer to the movie of your future career.”
“Before Surat Summer School, I thought careers were only limited to Science, Commerce and Humanities.”
“Before Surat Summer School, I thought learning about stuff like life sciences and Sanskrit poetry would be a waste of time.”
“Before Surat Summer School, I thought business ideas were mostly about creativity and luck.”
Testing a field cuts both ways. One student who had been curious about cosmology wrote that the AI and machine learning session was a reality check: they realised they were less interested in the field than they had thought. Another had expected an ordinary commercial event where universities only talked about themselves, and found serious learning and real conversation instead. Feedback like this was common.
Students also told us what to improve: better punctuality, shorter sessions, a bigger venue, and more variety, since three sessions were on startups. These are noted for any next edition.
Source: Surat Summer School 2026 student reflection form, 27 responses. Quotes are students' own words, shared with their consent.
Our motive has never been to compete with anyone. Surat Summer School is a community-first idea: serious, small and affordable, so that more Surat students can meet university faculty face to face before they choose a stream, a course or a college.
Surat Summer School 2027: register your interest
Tell us what you would want from a next edition. Your answers help us decide whether to hold one, and what it should include.
The universities below are a wishlist for you to vote on. No university has confirmed participation, and each one decides for itself.
1. Which universities would you like to meet?
Ashoka University · FLAME University · Krea University · Plaksha University · Masters' Union · NMIMS · SP Jain · Mahindra University · Bennett University · Ahmedabad University · Atlas SkillTech University · Nayanta University · AURO University · Other
2. Which fields would you like to experience?
AI & Data · Finance, FinTech & Investing · Product Design & Design Thinking · Entrepreneurship & Startups · Law, Policy & International Affairs · Psychology & Human Behaviour · Life Sciences · Media, Advertising & Communication · Other
3. Add your name to the interest list
Open to students in Class 10, 11 and 12, and students who have just completed Class 12. A parent's consent is needed for students under 18. Send us your name, class, school, and the universities and fields you would like on WhatsApp: 99250 33239 or 95105 33239.
Adding your name to the interest list costs nothing and is not a booking. The summer school itself is a paid programme. If a next edition goes ahead, registered families will hear first. Places would be limited, and selection would consider each student's profile.
Disclaimer: This publication is intended purely for general educational awareness and career orientation. Surat Summer School is an independent guidance initiative focused on broadening student exposure. A future edition, its dates, format and participating institutions are not confirmed. Universities listed in the interest form are a student wishlist and have not confirmed participation. Fees and details of other programmes are taken from official university websites and may change; please confirm with each university.
Frequently asked questions
It should not. The 2026 Surat edition ran for six days in late May as a day programme. Students went home every evening. A short, focused week like this can make the coaching that follows feel more purposeful, because the student knows what they are working towards.
In 2026, each bootcamp was led by faculty and experts from the university itself, face to face, in a small group. The names are in the table above.
No. Most summer camps in Surat are for younger children and focus on sport, art or adventure. Surat Summer School is for students in Class 10 to 12. University faculty teach one subject the way it is taught at university.
No. An internship is work inside an organisation. A summer school is a short workshop and bootcamp taught by university faculty. Think of a summer school as part of the profile building journey. It shows demonstrated interest in a career or major, and it can lead to the next step, such as a project or an internship. It is also a chance to test a field you have only heard about. At Surat Summer School 2026, for example, the AI session gave many students an in-depth look at AI careers. Some came away more drawn to the field. A few realised they had the wrong idea about it. Feedback like this was common across the sessions. Which one suits a student depends on what they want to test, and that is part of our profile building work.
It is worth it when the student picks a field they want to test and does real work during the week. A certificate alone adds little. Our summer schools in India guide answers this in more detail.
Students in Class 10, 11 and 12, and students who have just completed Class 12. Younger students can explore the programmes in our summer schools in India guide.
Global Careers is exploring a next edition. Whether it happens depends on interest from students and parents. If interest is strong, a next edition could move to a bigger venue and take more students. Adding your name to the interest list costs nothing and carries no obligation on either side.
It was a paid programme. The fee was kept deliberately low, a small fraction of what a residential summer school costs. If a next edition goes ahead, the fee will be shared with registered families.
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