Academy students taste a little BITS of Melbourne

Academy students taste a little BITS of Melbourne

RMIT recently bid a temporary farewell to the newest cohort of BITS-RMIT Higher Education Academy students, who visited Melbourne for a whirlwind nine-day immersion tour.

The 110 trailblazing students soaked up life in Melbourne, ahead of returning in 2026 to complete the two-year RMIT component of their dual degree – the first of its kind between India and Australia.  

Prachi Chopra is a Mechanical Engineering student, who plans to be a consulting building engineering once she graduates from the BITS-RMIT Higher Education Academy. 

“I was attracted to the BITS-RMIT course because of the international exposure that I'll get, as compared to completing the four years in India alone,” said Chopra.  

“Also getting to know more people across more cultures – that’s what made me choose the program. 

“RMIT is an amazing university. It has a place for all sorts of people, and it has a future for all sorts of people.” 

Abhisht Shankar is a Software Engineering student, and was impressed by the facilities at RMIT. 

“It’s world class, it’s top notch,” said Shankar.  

“Everything I've been to is perfect, it’s very efficient over here. The sports facilities, the libraries, the labs I have visited are all awesome.” 

The immersion tour was packed with industry engagement, exploration of RMIT's dynamic city campus, and a taste of Melbourne's vibrant lifestyle, including attending an AFL match at the MCG.  

The newest cohort of BITS-RMIT Higher Education Academy students on an immersion tour in Melbourne.

The academic adventure bridges BITS Pilani and RMIT in Australia’s first ever dual degree program between Australia and India. 

All the visiting undergraduate students are undertaking a Bachelor of Engineering (specialising in either Civil, Electrical, Electronics and Communication, Mechanical, or Software fields) and will study in the globally esteemed STEM College while at RMIT. 

Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor STEM College and RMIT Vice-President, Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos said the partnership between BITS Pilani and RMIT University enables powerful academic collaboration through innovative dual undergraduate degrees and joint PhD programs. 

"The combination of transnational education and deeply integrated, industry-connected learning means that students graduate with job-ready skills and a global mindset to apply these skills in a range of industries, anywhere in the world,” said Itsiopoulos. 

"It was great to see this cohort of ambitious and passionate students visit Melbourne and get a preview of the immersive academic and professional experiences that await them when they transfer to RMIT next year.” 

Professor Sudhirkumar V Barai, Director BITS Pilani – Pilani Campus and the inaugural Director of BITS RMIT Higher Education Academy said that the BITS-RMIT Higher Education Academy is scaling new heights each day. 

“The program indicates the strong commitment to the partnership, with mutual benefits,” said Barai.  

“The relationship between BITS and RMIT presents a unique opportunity to explore new horizons for collaboration in future programs like innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as strengthening ongoing undergraduate and PhD programs.

“The partnership will open many vistas of interesting collaborations, which will be a game changer.”  

This is the second cohort of BITS-RMIT Higher Education Academy students to visit Melbourne for an immersion tour. The first cohort, who visited last year, will return to Melbourne in July 2025 to complete the final two years of the dual degree. 

Discover more about the BITS-RMIT Higher Education Academy here.

02 June 2025

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02 June 2025

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