Day Zero by Gradeon · Gurgaon & Bangalore · 2027 cohorts
A free, merit-based selection for 120 places in Gradeon's 2027 postgraduate cohorts, with up to 20 scholarships of 25% to 100% of the programme fee. No exam. No syllabus. Send your CV, a short video and seven short answers. About 40 minutes.
Day Zero
Entries open on 1 December and close on 21 December. Leave your WhatsApp number and we send you the entry link the moment it is live. Nothing else.
Who it is for
Final-year students, graduates and working professionals of any experience can enter, from any background, technical or not. Women returning to the workforce and people changing careers are especially welcome. You do not need to know AI or business, and you do not need a test score. You need to be curious and quick to learn.
You must be 18 or older and live in India. You choose your programme for real only after you are selected.
The PG Diploma is awarded by a UGC-recognised university, subject to its approvals. The PGP is awarded by the business school whose campus you join: Gradeon in Gurgaon (Delhi NCR) and HCMX in Bangalore. The GCC programme is an HCMX programme. Bangalore campus details for AI Product Management will be announced.
How it works
Upload your CV (PDF or Word). Add a CAT, MAT, GMAT or GRE score if you have one, which is welcome but never required. Read a short written case (under 100 words) and pick one for your background. Record a 60-second video on your phone saying, in English, what you would do first, and why. Then answer seven short questions, 60 words each, about how you think, learn and take feedback. Entries close on 21 December.
Our team reads every CV and set of answers and watches the videos of those who move on. About 300 people are invited to interview. You hear by email at each step.
If you are invited, you pay a ₹1,000 interview fee and book a slot. The fee is asked only at this step, and refunded in full if we cancel or cannot hold your interview. The interview is a friendly video call of 15 to 30 minutes with an industry advisor, who will ask about your CV, your video and your answers, and give you one piece of feedback to see how you respond. No trick questions.
Admission offers go out by email and WhatsApp in two rounds, from the interviewed list ranked by total score, and stay open for 14 days. Scholarships are then decided from the admitted list. After you accept, you pay 50% of the balance fee within 30 days and the rest at least 30 days before the cohort starts. Everyone who enters gets a short Learner Report on how they think and learn.
From the day entries open to the final offers takes about ten weeks. You will get an email at each stage.
Seats and scholarships
120 places across the 2027 programmes are filled through Day Zero. Admission follows your total score.
Up to 20 scholarships, from 25% to 100% of the programme fee. Twenty is a ceiling, not a target. Scholarships go only to people who are admitted, and are decided by the admission committee and the Board of Advisors on an internal assessment of the whole candidate. We do not publish a tier table, and your offer letter states your scholarship in rupees.
Women returning to the workforce or changing careers are encouraged to enter, and we actively look to support them with scholarships.
Sponsored places. For up to 2 exceptional achievers a year, in school, college or beyond the classroom, who can show that money is the only thing standing in their way, we go further: a full scholarship, accommodation and a monthly stipend. We meet the candidate's family and do a background check. We do not promise a sponsored place every year, and we give one only if a deserving candidate comes forward.
A scholarship is a reduction of the programme fee. It stays fixed for the whole programme, with no attendance or grade condition.
How you are scored
| What we score | Points | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Interview | 50 | 15 to 30 minutes with an industry advisor |
| CV and profile | 20 | Your CV. A CAT, MAT, GMAT or GRE score can add to it and can never count against you |
| Written answers | 20 | Your seven short answers |
| Video | 10 | Your 60-second video |
No marks cut-off. No college names. No tools you must know. In your answers and interview we look at nine things, each scored on four levels with the evidence written down.
Our promises
Questions
No. Day Zero looks at how you think and learn, not what you know.
No. Final-year students, graduates and professionals of any experience can enter, and nobody is ranked by years of experience.
No. If you have one, add it. It can add to your CV score and can never count against you. Nobody is turned away for not having a score.
You can use tools for spelling and grammar, but the ideas and examples must be yours. One question asks how you use AI. In the interview we talk through your answers, so they need to be your own.
Entry is free. If you are invited to interview, there is a ₹1,000 interview fee, paid through a link we email you, and refunded in full if we cancel or cannot hold your interview. Nobody can sell you a seat or a scholarship. If anyone asks you for money for anything else, it is not us. Tell us on WhatsApp at +91 81236 33644.
AI Product Management and GCC Management in Gurgaon and Bangalore (July 2027 onwards), with 120 places in total. Day Zero does not cover the January 2027 GCC batch at HCMX in Bangalore. HCMX admits that batch directly: register your interest on the programme page and we will point you to the HCMX application. Day Zero is also a way into the Gradeon Boardroom (April 2027): we may invite strong entrants to a Boardroom interview. People with 2 or more years of experience can also apply to the Boardroom directly.
Up to 20, from 25% to 100% of the programme fee. It is a ceiling, not a target. Scholarships go only to admitted candidates and are decided by the admission committee and the Board of Advisors.
Yes. We want you in the room. Scholarships are meant for strong candidates like you, and there is no age or experience limit beyond being 18 or older.
For up to 2 exceptional achievers a year who can show that they cannot afford the programme, we give a full scholarship, accommodation and a monthly stipend. We meet the candidate's family and do a background check. We do not promise a sponsored place every year.
Based on the interest we have seen before launch, we expect to admit roughly 5 to 6 of every 100 people who enter. It is a forecast, not a promise. A strong interview counts for half of your score.
Where a programme has an online format, yes. A scholarship is a percentage of the fee of the format you choose.
Your offer shows the programme fee, any scholarship and the balance fee. After you accept, you pay 50% of the balance within 30 days. You pay the other 50% at least 30 days before the cohort starts, by bank transfer or direct payment.
You can still be admitted at the full programme fee. Everyone who enters also receives a short Learner Report that shows what you did well and one thing to try next. Admission and scholarships both depend on the selection committee's decision.
Our review team reads your CV and watches your video, and the advisor who interviews you sees them before your call. They are never published. How we store them is in the Privacy Policy.
You tell us which programme interests you when you enter, and you confirm a first and second choice after you are selected. Your choice does not affect your score.
Entries open on 1 December and close on 21 December. Message us on WhatsApp and we send you the entry link the moment it is live. You fill in one online form.
A short written story of about 100 words about a real-world problem, such as a delayed delivery or a crowded bus. You need no special knowledge. There is no right answer. We want to hear how you would think about it.
Record on your phone, one take, up to 60 seconds. Upload it to YouTube as Unlisted, or to Google Drive with "Anyone with the link can view", and paste the link in the form. If we cannot open your link, we email you and give you 48 hours to fix it.
By 6 January we tell everyone whether they are invited to interview. Interviews run from 7 January to 5 February. Offers go out in two rounds, by 15 January and by 10 February.
Tell us when you register, or message us on WhatsApp. We will agree an alternative format with you, and it is scored on the same rubric.
Yes. Ask them to message us on WhatsApp for a poster, a short message and a 20-minute online student briefing. It costs them and you nothing.
The fine print. Open to people aged 18 or older who live in India. Entry is free. Entries close on 21 December 2026. If you are invited to interview, a ₹1,000 interview fee applies, refunded in full if we cancel or cannot hold your interview. The 120 places are filled in order of total score. Scholarships are a reduction of the programme fee and do not cover living costs. They are decided by the admission committee and the Board of Advisors, only for admitted candidates, and twenty is a maximum, not a target. Sponsored places (accommodation and a monthly stipend) are limited to two a year and are not guaranteed every year. The fee, scholarship, payment schedule and terms of your place are as stated in your offer letter. The PG Diploma is awarded by a UGC-recognised university, subject to its approvals, and the PGP by the delivering business school. By registering you accept the Terms & Conditions and the Privacy Policy.