With 18 Winners, Galgotias University Records Highest Number of Apple Swift Student Challenge Winners

Galgotias University students have recorded a strong showing at the global Apple Swift Student Challenge 2026, with 18 winners, the highest number from any single Indian private university this year. The number has nearly doubled from 10 winners last year, driven by the rapid expansion of the University’s iOS development and product innovation ecosystem.

It Is True That the Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree; At Galgotias University, 18 Students Have Swiftly Won Apple’s Swift Student Challenge

The achievement signals how students at the University are increasingly participating in global technology platforms while building products and applications during their academic journey.

The winning projects span areas including healthcare accessibility, mobility, communication, learning assistance, wellness, gaming, and productivity. Applications such as Motion Canvas, Dyslexia Lens, Better Speak, Sense Shade, Derma Sync, QuickMath AR, and Let’sGo demonstrate how students are using technology to address practical and everyday challenges.

The achievement also points to the scale of the Apple iOS ecosystem that has evolved at Galgotias University over the past few years. The University currently has 34 student-built applications live on the Apple App Store across areas such as accessibility, healthcare, AI-powered productivity, mobility, and education technology.

Several students have also emerged as repeat winners at the Swift Student Challenge, including Harshit Gupta and Abu Shahma Ansari, both of whom secured recognition for the second consecutive year.

Dr Dhruv Galgotia, CEO, Galgotias University, said, “The confidence with which our students are approaching product-building and technology development while still in university is incredible. Many of these students come from middle-class and Tier-2 or Tier-3 backgrounds, and they are now building applications and participating in global technology ecosystems at a very early stage of their careers. This is the kind of exposure, mentoring, and experimentation that students increasingly expect from higher education institutions.”

The achievement comes alongside growing recognition for the University in technology and computer science education. Galgotias University was recently ranked in the 601-650 global band for Computer Science and Information Systems in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, while also being ranked 11th among private universities in India and 30th among all universities in the country in the subject area.

In the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, Galgotias University has been placed 27th among private universities in India, underlining the University's growing academic profile and rising visibility in the higher education landscape.

The Apple ecosystem at Galgotias University has been supported through industry-linked learning environments, app development initiatives, mentoring support, hackathons, and product-building exposure that allow students to move beyond theoretical learning into real-world application development. The 18 winners from Galgotias University include students from Computer Science Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, AI-ML, and Gaming Technology programmes, with projects ranging from accessibility tools and educational applications to AI-assisted wellness and mobility platforms.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of Galgotias University and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha.