During the first three years of the program the students are provided a strong foundation in critical thinking, communication, decision making based on data and socioeconomic understanding before they transition to the flagship Postgraduate Program in Management. The curriculum focuses on sustainability, ethics, inclusiveness and values based leadership and draws from concepts such as Dharma (righteousness), Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) and Nishkama Karma (selfless action).

The admission process of the first batch was highly competitive. Among 30,220 candidates who appeared in the IPMAT 2025, 16,357 got positive responses out of which 1,588 submitted applications to IIM Shillong. After academic assessments and interviews, 46 students were selected. 32 male (70%) and 14 female (30%) students make up the inaugural batch, which is academically diverse and includes students from the arts (46%), commerce (30%), and science (24%). The cohort consists of 19 states' individuals led by Madhya Pradesh (17.4%), Maharashtra (13%) and Gujarat (8.7%) and also includes Meghalaya, Assam and other states.

The graduation ceremony was held on 6th September at IIM Shillong Auditorium. Following the lighting of the lamps, Prof. Kailash Choudhary presented the batch and Prof. Sheetal, the IPM Chairperson gave an overview of the program.

Dr Mahesh Y. Reddy Chairman, Infrastructure Industry & Logistics Federation of India gave the keynote address and praised IIM Shillong's comprehensive strategy in developing future leaders. He emphasised the importance of transdisciplinary education in promoting entrepreneurship and creativity and appealed to the students to play an active role in realising India's $5 trillion economic vision.

Nitin Sharma Board of Governors Member IIM Shillong addressed the batch and encouraged the students to embrace boldness, teamwork, humility and service as leadership development. He emphasized the need to practice leadership with clarity and conviction every day using the Rig Veda and Swami Vivekananda as examples.

Dr. Naliniprava Tripathy Director congratulated students and stated that the program that is in line with the National Education Policy 2020 has as its vision creating leaders who are stalwart yet grounded in Indian values yet possess a global outlook. She encouraged students to leave their comfort zones and approach challenges as opportunities.

Prof. Rohit Joshi Dean Academics presided over a pledge during the ceremony and Prof. Vishakha Bansal gave a vote of thanks. A panel discussion Going from 0-1: Turning Ideas into Sustainable Business included more insights from industry stalwarts like Kanika Raajdev, CEO Mindcog; Sukhvinder Kaur, Chief General Manager Retail Loans, SBI and Pradeep Sekar, Managing Director Optiv Inc.

With residential learning immersed in environment, live projects, internships and faculty and industry mentorship the IPM promises to be a life changing experience for its participants, enhancing IIM Shillong's educational offerings while reaffirming its mission of developing Indian value-based leaders who are global ready.