TAMIL NADU: Pranav Ilango, a 17-year-old student from Erode, Tamil Nadu, has secured admission to Brown University in the US with a full scholarship worth Rs 3.55 crore. The scholarship covers his tuition and living expenses for the entire four-year undergraduate programme at the Ivy League university.
Pranav, a senior student at CS Academy, Erode, will study Public Health and Applied Mathematics at Brown. His academic interests bring together mathematics, technology and data, with a focus on applying them to real-world public health problems.
He also received a 100% scholarship offer from the University of Hong Kong, giving him another international higher education option.
From Erode to Brown
Pranav began preparing for international higher education at an early age. At 13, he joined Dexterity Global's National Scholar Development Programme, where he received mentorship and training focused on academics, leadership and problem-solving.
His academic record includes recognition among Outstanding Cambridge Learners. He was also a World Topper in IGCSE Mathematics, placing him among a select group of high-performing students globally. A 2025 report from his school said he was among only 30 students in India to receive the World Topper distinction in IGCSE Mathematics for the 2023-24 examinations.
His interests extend to software, entrepreneurship, engineering, data science and artificial intelligence, and he has increasingly focused on using technology to address social problems.
Mathematics with a public health focus
At Brown, Pranav plans to combine mathematical methods with public health. His stated long-term goal is to develop a public-health venture using data to provide insights to governments and communities, particularly in underserved regions.
He has previously explored technology-based solutions in education and healthcare, including programming, AI and data science. His choice of Public Health and Applied Mathematics reflects his interest in bringing these areas together to analyse health challenges and develop practical solutions.