Kautilya School of Public Policy

What Kautilya School of Public Policy does

Kautilya School of Public Policy is a private graduate school operating under GITAM (Deemed to be University), headquartered on a 100-acre campus in Rudraram, Hyderabad, Telangana. Established in 2020, it offers a 2-year full-time residential Master's Program in Public Policy (MPP, 103 credits), a 3–6 year Doctoral Program (PhD) in Public Policy with monthly stipends, and an undergraduate Minor in Public Policy available to GITAM Hyderabad students. The MPP curriculum combines 12 core courses, 13 skill shops, 15 electives (from 25+ options), a compulsory 6–8 week internship, and a 4–5 month capstone project, with specializations in Business & Government, ESG Issues, Economics for Policy, Global Affairs, and Technology & Society.

The institution monetizes primarily through MPP tuition (INR 1 Lakh admission fee plus INR 5.68 Lakh year 1 and INR 6.68 Lakh year 2, plus hostel and meal charges), cross-subsidizes the Minor program through GITAM undergraduate enrollment, and generates a supplementary revenue stream from the Governance Excellence Initiative — capacity-building workshops for IPS officers and government officials. The technology footprint is conventional educational infrastructure: a 90,000+ volume library, e-library access, IT labs, media labs, Wi-Fi, projectors, and two auditoria, with no proprietary software platform. Its competitive position rests on a faculty bench featuring former diplomats and central bank leaders, partnerships with IE University and UNHCR, and the parent GITAM's NAAC A++ accreditation and NIRF rankings. Reported placement outcomes include a 90%+ placement rate, average package of INR 13.4 LPA, and highest package of INR 41 LPA across 50+ recruiters.

Name

Kautilya School of Public Policy

Legal name

Kautilya School of Public Policy

Website

https://kspp.edu.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kautilya School of Public Policy is a Hyderabad-based private graduate school under GITAM University offering a 2-year residential Master's, a Doctoral program, and an undergraduate Minor in Public Policy, serving aspiring policy professionals through tuition and government-facing training workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Public Policy

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Communications, Marketing & Government/Community Relations Administration (EDADAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD)

Keywords

• Public policy education
• Graduate degree programs
• Policy research
• Governance training
• Doctoral programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hyderabad

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. Master's Program in Public Policy (MPP) Tuition: Primary revenue stream from tuition fees for the 2-year full-time residential Master's Program in Public Policy. Fees include admission fee (INR 1.00 LPA), first year tuition (INR 5.68 LPA), second year tuition (INR 6.68 LPA), hostel charges, and meal charges.
2. Governance Excellence Initiative - Training Programs: Revenue from capacity-building workshops and training programs for government officials, IPS officers, and elected representatives. Programs focus on governance leadership, media management, digital governance, ESG, climate change, and other public policy topics.
3. PhD Program Revenue: Revenue from doctoral program tuition with scholarship support. PhD scholars receive monthly stipends (INR 50,000 for years 1-2, INR 55,000 for years 3-4) funded by the institution.
4. Minor Program Open Electives: Revenue from undergraduate students taking Public Policy courses as Minor or Open Elective credits at GITAM University Hyderabad campus.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kautilya School of Public Policy is a Hyderabad-based academic institution offering a 2-year full-time residential Master's Program in Public Policy (MPP, 103 credits), a Doctoral (PhD) program in Public Policy, and an undergraduate Minor in Public Policy. It also delivers the Governance Excellence Initiative, a workshop-based capacity-building program for serving government officials and IPS officers, alongside the annual Kautilya Colloquy academic conference and a research output platform (Working Papers, Issue Briefs, Policy Blogs).

Product overview

Kautilya School of Public Policy operates as an educational institution offering a unified portfolio of academic programs centered around its Master's Program in Public Policy (MPP), supplemented by a Doctoral Program (PhD) and Minor program for undergraduates. The institution provides integrated support services including a Mentorship Program connecting students with distinguished policy leaders, and the Governance Excellence Initiative offering capacity-building workshops for government officials. Annual programs like Kautilya Colloquy and the Working Papers Series create platforms for research dissemination, while student deliverables including Capstone Projects, Policy Blogs, and Issue Briefs demonstrate applied learning outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master's Program in Public Policy (MPP) A 2-year full-time residential Master's Program in Public Policy (103 credits) for graduates and professionals. Curriculum includes 12 core courses, 13 skill shops, 15 electives (from 25+ options), a compulsory 6-8 week internship, and a 4-5 month capstone project. Specializations available in Business & Government, ESG Issues, Economics for Policy, Global Affairs, and Technology & Society.
• Doctoral Program (PhD) in Public Policy A rigorous full-time research program (3-6 years duration) for master's-holders and professionals pursuing doctoral research in public policy with specializations in Environmental/Societal/Governance Issues and Gender Studies. Includes coursework and thesis phases, with scholarship support up to INR 55,000 per month.
• Minor in Public Policy A credit-based undergraduate program (24 credits across 8 courses from second to sixth semester) open to GITAM University Hyderabad students from all disciplines. Covers fundamentals of public policy, economics, governance, foreign policy, and environmental policy.
• Governance Excellence Initiative Capacity-building workshop programs for government officials, IPS officers, and elected representatives covering governance leadership, media management, digital governance, AI, climate change, ESG, ethical decision-making, team building, and gender sensitization. Delivered through direct engagement with government training academies such as SVP National Police Academy.
• Kautilya Colloquy (Annual Academic Conference) Annual flagship academic conference with paid registration for paper presentations (INR 500 per presenter/team), Niti-in-Quest policy quiz (INR 500 per team of 2), and Policy Play vlog competition (INR 200 per entry). The 2026 edition engaged 500+ participants with 50+ speakers and 150+ research submissions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Highest placement package of INR 41 LPA
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ICSSR awarded a research grant to Kautilya for the project 'A Comparative Assessment of the Impact of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme in the Gender-Critical Districts of Telangana and Uttar Pradesh' under the Special Call for Short-term Empirical Research 2023-24.
• IE University (School of Politics, Economics, and Global Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIE University is a global academic partner collaborating with Kautilya on research, academic exchange, and transformative learning. The partnership enables knowledge sharing and collaborative initiatives in public policy education.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNHCR collaborates with Kautilya as a global institution partner to foster research and academic exchange in areas of mutual interest related to refugees and humanitarian policy.
• Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIMTECH faculty members (Dr. Rahul Singh and Dr. Amarnath Bose) collaborate as Project Directors on the ICSSR-funded Beti Bachao Beti Padhao research project alongside Kautilya researchers.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka University: Ashoka runs liberal arts and policy-focused undergraduate and graduate programs at a private Indian university. It competes with Kautilya for high-caliber Indian applicants seeking interdisciplinary education with policy emphasis.
• Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP): ISPP is a relatively new India-based school offering MPP-equivalent programs with a practitioner-heavy faculty model. It targets the same admissions-driven graduate audience and competes for both students and visiting faculty.
• Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA): IIPA is an older, government-adjacent training and research institution providing capacity building for serving civil servants. Its focus on government training overlaps with Kautilya's Governance Excellence Initiative.
• National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP): NIPFP is a long-standing policy research and training institution focused on public finance and economics. It competes for policy-oriented graduate talent and represents an established, research-heavy alternative in the Indian policy education market.
• Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (O.P. Jindal Global University): JSGP offers an MPP and related public policy programs at a private Indian university with a similar practitioner-instructor model. It is the most direct competitor for India-based policy aspirants and competes for the same faculty and student pool.

Others

• Centre for Policy Research (CPR): CPR is an India-based policy think tank producing research across governance, economic, and social policy domains. It is ecosystem-adjacent rather than a direct competitor, but competes for policy research talent and collaborates on policy work.

Regional players

• Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (National University of Singapore): LKYSPP is Asia's leading public policy graduate school with MPP, PhD, and executive programs. It serves as the regional benchmark for policy education quality and competes for Indian applicants willing to study abroad.

Broad incumbents

• Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA): IIMA runs the Centre for Public Policy and other policy-adjacent programs alongside its core MBA. It attracts applicants seeking policy-oriented careers from a top-tier business school platform, partially overlapping with Kautilya's audience.
• Indian School of Business (ISB): ISB is a premier private Indian business school with policy-relevant electives and executive programs. It competes for high-credentialed applicants and mid-career professionals considering policy-adjacent careers.
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS): TISS is a large, established Indian institution offering policy, social work, and development programs across multiple campuses. It is a broader incumbent with policy-relevant offerings that overlap with Kautilya's target audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KautilyaPolicy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kspp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/kautilyaspp
• Instagraminstagram.com/kautilyaspp

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Kautilya School of Public Policy