FLAME University

What FLAME University does

FLAME University is a private liberal arts university located in Lavale, Pune, India, founded in 2004 and sponsored by the Foundation for Liberal And Management Education Society. It operates across five schools (School of Liberal Education, School of Business, School of Communication, School of Computing and Data Sciences, and School of Design, Art & Performance) offering undergraduate degrees (B.A., B.Sc., BBA, BBA-CM, B.Des), postgraduate programs (MBA, MBA-CM, M.Sc. Economics, PGPEI), doctoral programs, and certificate offerings (Summer School, FUSIP, FLAME Investment Lab). Its core technology is an interdisciplinary liberal education platform anchored by a major-minor combination system with 350+ unique combinations spanning 24+ majors, 400+ unique courses, and 100+ foundation courses, supported by experiential learning programs such as Discover India Program, Development Activities Program, and FLAME Investment Lab.

The university's revenue model is tuition-driven across subscription-based undergraduate and postgraduate programs (UG fees approximately ₹6 lakh to ₹35 lakh per program with 3-4 year durations, billed annually), supplemented by one-time fees from Summer School, Summer Immersion Program (FUSIP), and doctoral stipends. Recruitment runs through direct-to-consumer channels including school outreach webinars, campus tours offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, education fairs, digital marketing, the Voice of FLAME blog, student ambassadors, and counselor relationships, with the holistic admission process handled online. Student body is drawn from 60+ Indian cities at a 60:40 female-to-male ratio with an 11:1 student-faculty ratio and ~30 average class size, served by 120+ faculty scholars.

FLAME differentiates through its pioneer positioning in Indian liberal education, 13 international collaborations (Yale, Wellesley, University of Oxford, Kelley School of Business, University of Galway, UC Davis, Babson, CIID, CFA Institute), CFA University Affiliation for the MBA program, and published research output (150+ faculty papers in AY 2025-26). It is led by Vice-Chancellor Dr. Dishan Kamdar, with Indira Parikh as Founder and President and Parag Shah as Founder and Chairman. The institution generates demand via multi-channel content, events, and partnerships, with international student recruitment extending geographic reach to North America, Europe, and Oceania through study abroad, summer abroad, and exchange programs.

Name

FLAME University

Legal name

FLAME University

Website

https://flame.edu.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

FLAME University is a private liberal arts university in Pune, India, offering undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and certificate programs across five interdisciplinary schools with a customizable 350+ major-minor combination system, serving students from 60+ Indian cities and international partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / Liberal Arts University

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Business and Secretarial Schools (611410)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

General Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interdisciplinary/Experimental Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAN), Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH), Under-18 / High School-to-University Foundation Pathways (EDAIAJAI)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Interdisciplinary undergraduate programs
• Postgraduate management degrees
• Residential university programs
• Experiential liberal learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Pune

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate Tuition: Full-time undergraduate programs (B.A., B.Sc., BBA, BBA-CM, B.Des) with fees ranging from approximately ₹6 lakh to ₹35 lakh for the complete program duration. 3-year and 4-year program options available.
2. Postgraduate Tuition: Two-year MBA and MBA (Communications Management) programs, one-year PGPEI, and M.Sc. Economics programs generating recurring tuition revenue
3. FLAME Summer School: 2-credit courses offered to university students from FLAME and other institutions during summer break, delivered in-person on campus
4. Summer Immersion Program (FUSIP): Residential programs for high school students (10-day FUSIP and 5-day FUSIP-Design) introducing interdisciplinary liberal education
5. Doctoral Program: PhD programs offering monthly stipend of Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 50,000 to fellows, with research and teaching opportunities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

FLAME University delivers interdisciplinary liberal education across undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and certificate programs on a residential campus in Pune, India. Programs span humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, business, design, communications, and computational sciences, with students customizing their academic paths through 350+ major-minor combinations. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition fees from degree programs supplemented by summer immersion and certificate offerings.

Product overview

FLAME University is a liberal education institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate degrees (B.A., B.Sc., BBA, BBA-CM, B.Des), postgraduate degrees (MBA, MBA-CM, M.Sc. Economics), doctoral programs, and certificate programs (PGPEI, FLAME Summer School, Summer Immersion Program, FLAME Investment Lab). The university operates through five schools: School of Liberal Education, School of Business, School of Communication, School of Computing and Data Sciences, and School of Design, Art & Performance. Its unique interdisciplinary approach allows students to combine majors and minors across disciplines with over 350 career combinations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• B.A. (Hons) Four-year honours undergraduate degree in liberal arts covering Economics, Psychology, Literary & Cultural Studies, International Studies, Environmental Studies, Journalism, Public Policy, and Sociology, designed for students seeking interdisciplinary learning through customizable major-minor combinations.
• B.Sc. (Hons) Four-year honours undergraduate degree in sciences with majors in Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science and Economics, and Computer Science and Design.
• BBA (Hons) Four-year honours undergraduate degree in business administration with majors in Finance, Business Analytics, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Entrepreneurship, Operations, and Design Management.
• BBA (Communications Management) (Hons) Four-year honours undergraduate degree in communications management covering Advertising & Branding, Digital Marketing & Communications, and Film & Television Management.
• B.Des (Bachelor of Design) Four-year undergraduate degree with major in Experience Design, preparing students for careers in digital and interactive interfaces, service design, and immersive storytelling.
• MBA Two-year full-time MBA program focused on developing management professionals with a liberal education approach; accepted into the CFA University Affiliation Program recognizing curriculum alignment with CFA charter requirements.
• MBA (Communications Management) Two-year full-time postgraduate program training students for careers in media and communication management with a participatory and interactive learning environment.
• M.Sc. (Economics) Two-year full-time program designed to analyze economic problems using modern data science methodologies, combining econometrics with computational techniques.
• Postgraduate Program in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (PGPEI) One-year certificate program aimed at creating high-impact entrepreneurs through Unlearn, Learn, Build, and Lead modules with opportunity to visit Babson College's entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• Doctoral Program (PhD) PhD programs offered in Management, Economics, Psychology, Data Science, Environmental Studies, Humanities, and Sociology with interdisciplinary approach, research and teaching opportunities, and monthly stipend support.
• FLAME Summer School Summer program offering 2-credit courses to university students from FLAME and other institutions, delivered in-person on campus with interdisciplinary pedagogy across disciplines including Economics, Psychology, Design, Finance, and Marketing.
• FLAME Summer Immersion Program (FUSIP) Residential program for high school students introducing interdisciplinary learning in a liberal education environment, with FUSIP (10-day) and FUSIP-Design (5-day) tracks offering pre-college immersion.
• FLAME Investment Lab (FIL) Annual initiative delivering concepts and art of value investing to interested students, featuring sessions with investment professionals, a speakers' repository with renowned investment minds, summer programs, and alumni network focused on financial education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 faculty research papers published in 2025-26 academic year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of GalwaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Five-year progression agreement creating pathways for FLAME's Indian undergraduates to pursue postgraduate programmes across three colleges at the Irish university starting September 2027. Eligible FLAME students receive scholarships of 10-15% tuition fee reduction across all programmes in fields including Fintech, Digital Marketing, Environmental Economics, and Coastal & Marine Environments.
• Wellesley CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 October 2025Partnership agreement facilitating international academic exchange including student and faculty exchanges, research collaborations, and curriculum development. Aligns with FLAME's strategy to provide multicultural learning experiences that enhance employability through exposure to different cultures and academic perspectives.
• Yale UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer programs partnership offering FLAME students international exposure and academic credit transfer opportunities.
• Kelley School of Business (Indiana University Bloomington)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration providing study abroad and exchange program opportunities for FLAME business students.
• University of OxfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership mentioned as part of FLAME's broader internationalization efforts.
• University of California, DavisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudy abroad partnership for FLAME students seeking international academic experience.
• Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly presenting Pop-Up School 2026 exploring Design, Innovation, and Emerging Technologies. Led by Chris Downs (Service Design and Applied AI pioneer) and Iskra Uscumlic, the program explores how AI can transform data into meaningful stories and interactive experiences.
• WageIndicatorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint hosting of 2nd International Conference: Work, Wages and Workforce 2026, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and industry leaders for dialogue on the future of work.
• Babson CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational immersion opportunity for PGPEI program participants to visit and learn from Babson's entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• CFA InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLAME's MBA program accepted into CFA University Affiliation Program, recognizing the curriculum's alignment with CFA charter requirements.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka University: India's leading private liberal arts university, frequently co-listed with FLAME in B.A. and liberal arts rankings. Directly comparable as a pioneer interdisciplinary institution competing for the same fee-paying undergraduate segment with similar major-minor customization.
• Krea University: Private liberal arts university offering interdisciplinary undergraduate and postgraduate programs with similar student-to-faculty ratios and a comparable premium-fee positioning targeting the same Indian liberal-education cohort as FLAME.
• OP Jindal Global University: Private research-intensive university offering multidisciplinary UG and PG programs with strong international orientation. Co-listed with FLAME in 2026 B.A. Business Studies rankings and competes for similar liberal-arts-aware applicants.
• NMIMS (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies): Reputed private university known for its MBA and BBA programs, ranked alongside FLAME in 2026 BBA and liberal arts lists. Direct competitor for management-oriented undergraduate and postgraduate applicants in the premium segment.
• Shiv Nadar University: Private research university offering interdisciplinary UG and PG programs with strong STEM and humanities balance. Competes with FLAME for premium interdisciplinary applicants and appears alongside it in 2026 rankings.
• Bennett University: Private university offering BBA, B.A., and other UG programs with a media-and-management focus. Co-listed with FLAME in 2026 BBA rankings and competes in the same premium private-university applicant pool.
• Azim Premji University: Not-for-profit private university focused on liberal arts, sciences, and education programs. Comparable in mission emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and holistic development, although positioned at lower fee points than FLAME.

Broad incumbents

• Symbiosis International University: Large multi-campus private university with broad undergraduate and postgraduate offerings, particularly strong in BBA and management. Regularly co-listed with FLAME in BBA rankings; significantly larger scale but overlapping target segments.
• Christ University: Major Indian private university with a wide portfolio of UG and PG programs across humanities, commerce, and sciences. Comparable in targeting urban fee-paying students and frequently co-ranked with FLAME in BBA rankings.

Others

• Manipal Academy of Higher Education: One of India's largest private university systems with multi-campus operations across UG, PG, and doctoral programs. Provides a benchmark for scale and geographic diversification that FLAME currently lacks, and overlaps in BBA, B.Des, and MBA offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/flamepune
• Instagraminstagram.com/flameuniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/flamepune

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FLAME University