Program Overview
GCIL India is a 15-credit study abroad program in Bangalore, India during winter quarter. The program is open to UW graduate students and undergraduate junior and senior students from any department.
Through the Grand Challenges Impact Lab, you will learn about Grand Challenges and be challenged to propose and test solutions to them. GCIL is a quarter-long program that will be offered during every Winter Quarter in Bangalore, India. The program offers an active, hands-on learning laboratory and is open to graduate students and undergraduate junior and senior students from any department.
Still on the fence? Here’s a perspective from GCILers, sharing experiences from the GCIL India 2025 cohort.
GCIL India Information Sessions
Information sessions for GCIL-2027 will start in February 2026.
Program Timeline
After a pre-departure Autumn course, students learn about grand challenges (GCs) such as food security, clean water, clean energy, and public health. Local professionals share insights into how communities in Bangalore experience GCs and the approaches that have succeeded and failed in addressing them. Mentored by UW faculty, students also learn entrepreneurship skills such as design thinking and lean startup, which can help in designing effective strategies for GCs.
| Pre-departure Autumn course (1 credit) | This course will introduce a range of topics from development theory to Indian culture; the goal is to help prepare you to hit the ground running when you arrive in Bangalore. You will meet with your project group and a UW faculty mentor to develop your knowledge of your GC and its impact on the local communities in Bangalore. |
| India: Week 1-3 | You learn about GCs such as food security, clean water, clean energy, and public health. Local professionals share insights into how communities in Bangalore experience GCs and the approaches that have succeeded and failed in addressing them. You will also learn entrepreneurship skills such as design thinking and lean startup, which can help in designing effective strategies for GCs. |
| India: Week 4-10 | You work in interdisciplinary teams to understand and address a GC. Teams identify a population or community experiencing the GC, define the GC problem facing that population, consider potential solutions, and design a solution to meet the population’s needs. You will be placed in a local organization with experience with that GC, and will work with local mentors and UW faculty members. |