ElevateU 2026
Four competition arenas. Masterclasses picked around your stream and your domain. A room full of universities. And a certificate that means something on an application — earned in one day, alongside the strongest students in your city.
A fest you don't just attend. One you leave holding something.
Most career events hand out a bag and a brochure. ElevateU is built the other way round — every part of the day produces evidence. Something a university can read. Something you can point to in an interview.
- CertificateProof from every part you take onMasterclass and competition certificates, issued at the close of the day.
- CompetitionA credential earned against real oppositionFour arenas, judged by panels who have heard it all before.
- MasterclassA live case in your stream and domainBusiness, science, public health, policy or design — you pick the room.
- UniversitiesDirect conversations, not an email queueThe College Expo puts representatives in front of you, in person.
- TrophyFor the ones who win their arenaWinners take a trophy at The Elevate Honours. Everyone else still takes the certificate.
Four things that make a profile, in one day.
Compete
Four arenas
Parliament, startups, a live business case and a social-impact challenge. Pick one, take it seriously, walk out with a credential.
Go deep
Masterclasses by domain
Real, running businesses and live public problems — chosen around the stream and domain you're actually interested in.
Meet universities
The College Expo
Representatives on the floor, plus hands-on partner labs in the NextGen Experience Zone. Your shortlist starts here.
Stand out
A room of high achievers
Invited schools only, Classes 11 and 12. The people you compete against are the reason the certificate is worth something.
Pick the room that matches your domain. Crack a live case.
Not lectures. Each masterclass is powered by the Student Outreach Clubs and built around a question that has no clean answer yet.
The 10-Minute Economy
Business × Science · Inside Blinkit & Zepto
A masterclass in Business & Data Science, built on a business model that is running right now.
The Air We Breathe
Science × Arts · India's silent health crisis
A masterclass in Public Health & Policy, on a problem the science solved long before the politics did.
The Studio Floor
Design · 30 seats only
Design it. Make it. Wear it. A hands-on masterclass on creativity and fashion, running during the College Expo.
The first two run in parallel — every student picks one. The Studio Floor is additional, and separate.
Four arenas. One afternoon. Certificates you'll actually use.
Every participant receives a certificate. Winners take a trophy at The Elevate Honours. The Challenge Series runs at the four in-person cities. It needs the separate competition form — turning up on the day is not enough.
The House
Youth Parliament
Your argument against the sharpest delegations in the city — and a Chair who misses nothing.
EcoVentures
Tech & Sustainability Challenge
Build the startup the planet has been waiting for. Then defend it, live, before a panel that has heard everything.
The Boardroom
Case Competition
You're the C-suite now. Five executive roles, one real business case, judges playing hardball investors.
Fund a Future
Social Impact Challenge
Take on a cause, build the case for it, and convince a room to back it.
Student Outreach Got Latent
Thirty minutes where the stage belongs entirely to the students in the room. Beatboxing, character comic roleplay, and whatever else walks up. No auditions, no filter, no judges scoring you.
What the day looks like for you.
Students and parents start together and then split. Parents have their own hall, their own speaker and a shorter, sharper morning.
If you're the student
- Arrive and check inEntry opens 7:30 AM and closes 8:30 AM sharp.
- The Career Reality CheckYour opening keynote — in the students' hall.
- Your masterclassTwo run in parallel. You pick one.
- College Expo & NextGen Experience ZoneUniversities, partner labs, and The Studio Floor if you registered.
- LunchProvided for students.
- Your competition arenaThe House, EcoVentures, The Boardroom or Fund a Future.
- Student Outreach Got LatentThirty minutes, the stage is yours.
- The Elevate HonoursCertificates, trophies, and the ambassadors' moment.
You can leave at 12:30 PM before lunch — but certificates are given at the close, so the students who stay are the ones who leave with something.
If you're the parent
- Beyond Marks: The New Rules of AdmissionYour own keynote with Mr Ajay Sharma, in a separate hall, while students are in theirs.
- The College Expo for ParentsDirect conversations with university representatives on the floor.
- Your morning ends at 10:30 AMStudents carry on with the rest of the day.
Parent registration is mandatory and separate from your child's. Lunch is provided to students only.
See the parent sessionBeyond Marks: The New Rules of Admission
A dedicated, in-person parent keynote led by Mr Ajay Sharma — in a separate hall, running in parallel with the students' session. Parents aren't sitting at the back of their child's room. They get a hall, a speaker and a conversation of their own.
Two hours, start to finish. An honest conversation about what has changed in admissions, and what a family should be doing now rather than in the last six months.
- Why a 95% no longer does what it did five years ago
- What Indian and international universities read first, after the marksheet
- How a profile is actually built across Classes 11 and 12 — and what counts as evidence
- The admissions calendar every family should be working backwards from
- Fees, scholarships and the money questions worth asking early
- The mistakes we watch families make every single year
The parent registration
- Keynote with Mr Ajay Sharma
- The College Expo for Parents
- Direct conversations with university representatives
- 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM — a separate hall
Parents must register separately from their child. A student registration does not cover a parent.
The session is not compulsory — but for families preparing seriously for admissions, it is the most useful two hours of the day.
Lunch is provided to students only.
Your city gets one date. There is no second one.
In-person cities: entry opens at 7:30 AM and closes at 8:30 AM sharp. Parents attend from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM.
Don't just attend it. Run part of it.
Every edition of ElevateU is powered by student ambassadors. It's a real role with real responsibility — operations, PR, media, design, university relations, stage — and it goes on your profile as leadership, which is exactly what admissions officers read closely.
Free to attend. Registered seats only.
There is no entry fee. Every city has a fixed capacity and registration closes once the room is full. Pick the form that matches you — you may need more than one.
Kolkata · Bhubaneswar · Siliguri · Guwahati
One form for all four in-person cities. Choose your city inside the form.
Register nowShillong — 29 Aug, 5–7 PM
The Shillong edition runs online and has its own registration form.
Register for ShillongThe Elevate Challenge Series
All four arenas — Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Siliguri and Guwahati. Separate from event registration — without this form you can't be considered.
Register for competitionsKeynote with Mr Ajay Sharma
The parent keynote and the College Expo, 8:30 to 10:30 AM. Mandatory and separate.
Book a parent seatEntry is free. It is not unconditional.
ElevateU works because the room is full of students who want to be there. These are the terms that keep it that way. Registering means you accept them.
Everything else you'll want to ask
Who can attend ElevateU 2026?
ElevateU 2026 is for students in Classes 11 and 12, and only for students from schools that have received an invite for this edition. Each city hosts a limited number of schools so that every student gets real time with university representatives rather than a queue.
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no entry fee for students or parents. Registration is still required, and Student Outreach reserves the right to accept or reject any registration, and to permit or refuse entry on the day.
What are the timings?
Guwahati, Kolkata, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar: the day runs 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Entry opens at 7:30 AM and closes at 8:30 AM sharp, because the first session begins then.
Shillong: online on 29 August, 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Is attendance required for the entire day?
Students have two clean options: leave at 12:30 PM before lunch, or stay through to the close at 4:00 PM.
Certificates and awards are given at the close, so students who leave at 12:30 won't receive one — and the afternoon is where the competitions, Got Latent and the Honours sit.
Is there a separate session for parents?
Yes. Two sessions run in parallel in two different halls — one for students, one for parents. The parent session is Beyond Marks: The New Rules of Admission, with Mr Ajay Sharma, Founder Director of Student Outreach.
How long do parents stay?
The parent engagement runs from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM — the keynote followed by the College Expo for Parents. Parents leave at 10:30. Students carry on with the rest of the day.
Do parents need to register separately?
Yes — this is mandatory. A student registration does not cover a parent. Parents must register on the parent registration form.
Is the parent session compulsory?
No. But it's rare, and genuinely valuable for parents helping their child prepare for admissions seriously. Most parents who attend tell us it changed what they thought they should be doing at home.
How many masterclasses can a student attend?
Two masterclasses run in parallel and each student can attend one.
In addition, The Studio Floor — creativity and fashion, powered by the Student Outreach Creative Studio — runs during the College Expo. It has 30 seats, open on a first-come, first-served basis to students who register for it.
Do the competitions require prior registration?
Yes. Competition entry is separate from event registration. You must fill in the competition registration form to be considered for participation. Turning up on the day is not enough.
Are the competitions open to everyone?
They're open to students of Classes 11 and 12 only, and only from schools that have received an invite for this edition. The Challenge Series runs at the four in-person cities — Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Siliguri and Guwahati.
Is food or refreshments provided?
Lunch is provided to students only. It doesn't extend to parents.
How does the Shillong edition work?
Shillong runs online on 29 August 2026, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. It has its own registration form — the four-city form doesn't cover it. Joining details are sent to registered students.
What should students bring on the day?
A valid school identity card and your registration confirmation. Both may be checked at entry.
Can students apply to be ambassadors?
Yes. Student ambassadors help run ElevateU in their city and school across operations, PR, media, design, university relations and stage. Apply here.
Who do I contact if I have a question?
Call or WhatsApp +91 97488 94217, +91 62896 86055 or +91 95351 84231.
Email info@studentoutreach.in or guidance@studentoutreach.in.
Or message us on Instagram — @student.outreach or @studentoutreachevents.
Line-ups, drops, winners — it all lands here first.
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