Scaler vs Traditional Degree: The Numbers Don't Lie - Scaler School of Technology

Understanding Scaler School of Technology

Students considering any Scalar like institution for upskilling must understand how these Edtech companies function. Understanding their models is important to analysing whether you should join a learning and upskilling institution or a traditional college.

Three Models of Edtech Companies

Model 1: The Standalone Certification Model

• The EdTech company designs and delivers the entire programme. This means Scaler offers its own programme without depending on other institution.
• There is no university affiliation. This means joing Scaler gives you a proprietary certificate, not a degree.
• The value of the leaning and the certificate is entirely dependent on employer perception and brand recognition, not regulatory recognition. This means you will get a job based on your learning and skills.

Model 2: The Embedded University Model

• With this model, the EdTech company partners with an accredited university. This means they handle the student experience things like making the app, driving and delivering curriculum and lecture videos.
• As the edtech company is only partnered with the university, the university lends its degree-granting authority. This means students study completely online through an EdTech app, but they will graduate with a legitimate university degree.

Model 3: The Physical Campus + Distance Degree Model

In this model, the EdTech company builds a physical infrastructure, such as classrooms, labs, and campuses that feels exactly like a traditional college. However, they do not have the legal permission to give you a regular college degree.

The credential gap. This means the experience looks similar to a residential college, but the degree your will get is classified an online or distance degree. This sometimes does not carry more value in the job market than a traditional, regular college degree.

Thus, before enrolling in these institutions, it becomes crucial for students to ask:

• Where are you actually studying?
• Who are you paying?
• Who is ultimately answerable to you?

These questions are obvious because there are many such companies are coming out and offering upskilling courses. So, let us discuss each question in detail.

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Who are you paying?

If you pay the university, you will get a degree with normal accountability. If you pay the edtech company, you have limited options for dispute resolution in case of any issue.

Where are you studying? Whose Campus?

Are you studying in a university-owned campus or an edtech company ecosystem? Studying at a non-university campus can lead to a lack of university experience and accountability.

Who is responsible if things go wrong?

Who is answerable in case of any issue, such as not getting the degree or placement, the university or the edtech company?

Students must look for all these things. All these questions will let them know what kind of risk they are taking because many edtech companies operate in a grey area.

Students must identify what they want: a learning and skill guarantee, a job or placement guarantee, or a degree or credential guarantee. The best option is a blend of all these three options. Scaler initially started as a skill-building platform, upgrading working professionals, and now offers UG programmes.

Programmes Offered by Scaler School Technology

Scaler School Technology offers two four year UG programmes in Computer Science and AI and AI and Business.

Scaler School Technology Programme Overview

Scaler Computer Science and AI Programme

Scaler School Technology offers a four-year UG programme in Computer Science and AI with a total fee of Rs 22.99 lakh (including hostel, admission, and tuition fees).

Scaler AI and Business Programme

Scaler School Technology offers a four-year UG programme in AI and Business with a total fee of Rs 24.49 lakh (including hostel, admission, and tuition fees).

Students must note that the hostel fee for both Scaler programmes mentioned above is subject to periodic revision. Over the past two years, the institution has increased the fee by approximately 8 per cent to 10 per cent annually. However, this percentage is not fixed and may vary.

If a student wants to do a parallel UGC recognised degree from IIT Madras or BITS Pilani, there is parallel degree fees. The fee will be paid directly to IIT Madras or BITS Pilani as per their schedule.

Scaler School of Technology Placements: The Rs 1.7 Cr Package Claim

The placement at Scaler School of Technology will commence in the fourth year, staring July 2026, with the first graduating cohort in 2027. However, there is a 2024 Guidebook that claims the highest salary of Rs 1.7 crore, with an average salary of learners stood at Rs 21.6 LPA.

The catch: Scaler has different academic offerings where working professionals come and skill up to excel in their careers. The Rs 1.7 Cr package claim is just a narrative and is explicitly from Scaler's working professional course, verified by KPMG.

This highest salary cannot be conflicted with the Scaler four year programmes because the placement for these programmes has not yet started and not a single student has been placed.

The Placement Narrative

Do Scaler Offer an IIT Madras or BITS Pilani Degree?

Scaler does not offer IIT Madras or BITS Pilani degree. It allows students to pursue parallel independent, UGC-recognised online degrees. Getting an online degree from IIT Madras or BITS Pilani is not easy. Many students enrolled for the course, but the completion rate is very low because not all students pass the exams.

IIT Madras BS Degree Completion Statistics

The table highlights the difficulty level of completing the parallel Online BS degree from IIT Madras that Scaler students are encouraged to take. The table represents around 1.1 per cent of the completion rate for the BS degree, despite of the higher number of enrolled candidates. This indicates that getting an online degree from IIT Madras requires dedication and a strong educational base.

Scaler School of Technology Internship Statistics

Scaler School of Technology recorded 96.3 per cent internship rate of total 164 eligible students. The internship report is possibly based on the first cohort started in 2023.

Internship Summary

Note: The Internship process is ongoing and the number of offers and offered students may further increase.

SST Internship Report

The data in the table shows that 96 companies made a total of 232 internships offers, with 12 international offers. The average monthly stipend stood at Rs 31,362. The data further reveals that top-performing student in the batch secured the highest monthly stipend of Rs 2,00,070.

Top 10% of the students in the batch secured internship offers with an average stipend of Rs 90,230 per month. On the other hand, top 25% students secured at an average stipend of Rs 56,424 per month.

Batch Profile

The data highlights that there are 182 students in batch, out of which 164 students became eligible for internships. There were also 14 students who either participated in Innovation Lab projects, building their own start-up, or opted out. 4 students were not allowed to participate in the internship because of the academic policy.

Batch Size vs Placement Metrics

The image shows the admissions process and career outcomes for the Batch of 2025 at the Scaler School of Technology. Based on the data given here:

• 21,000 students took the entrance exam - the NSET (Scaler National Scholarship and Entrance Test), of which only 4,600 students were invited for the interview.
• Out of those 4,600 students interviewed, only 687 students were finally offered admission. This reflects 3.3 per cent selection rate. This shows the level of competition similar to institutes like the IITs.

Who Should Join Scaler School of Technology?

Scaler School of Technology is best suited for students who want to upskill their knowledge in the technical domain. If students prefer to get in-depth knowledge and upgrade their skills instead of focusing only on a traditional degree, then Scaler School of Technology is the best option. If students want to attain better placement outcomes and can afford to pay the Rs 22 lakhs, SST is the right fit for them.