The five scholars in the Doctoral Program (residential) batch come from five different Indian states. The group is purely non-engineering, comprising 60% men and 40% women with an average age of 25.6 years.

Two rounds of intense in-person interviews were part of the PhD program's admissions procedure and they were held in key cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

The signature PGP 2025-27 had 405 participants enrolled out of more than 2.3 lakh candidates through CAT 2024. With a nearly equal distribution of engineering (46%) and non-engineering (54%) backgrounds, the class consists of 58% male and 42% female students. The average age of the cohort is 25.2 years and 72% of students were previously employed, typically in the one- to three-year bracket. The batch represents 22 states and four union territories from all over the nation. Prof. Nalini Prava Tripathy, Director in Charge, IIM Shillong, received the incoming participants with a message of self-discovery and progress. This journey is not merely academic—it is about broadening applicants horizons and building the capability to lead responsibly, she said.

She highlighted the institute's focus on industry-relevant and future-oriented education and urged the students to leverage their stay at IIM Shillong by being inquisitive, dedicated and adaptive.

Parmod Kamlani, a partner at EY Strategy & Transaction and a GDS Transaction & Corporate Finance Leader, was the event's chief guest. During his address, Kamlani talked about how faith had played a role in his life and about the necessity of aligning one's words and action. He sstressed the necessity of trust-building in professional and personal life and asked them to adopt sincerity and consistency as future leaders.

Students from both batches began their academic careers at IIM Shillong with a formal Pledge of Commitment from Dean (Academics) Prof. Rohit Joshi.