Education · 2026-10-15
Figma expands in India with a student program and a partnership with Sarvam
After its large Config India conference, Figma announced a student program, new research and a partnership with Indian AI company Sarvam, and free access to Figma tools for universities is available in other countries too.
What happened
Figma, which makes online design tools, held its largest international conference, Config India 2026, with over 30,000 people attending in person and online. Afterward, Figma announced product updates, a partnership with the startup Sarvam, and the launch of an education program for university students in India.
According to Figma, as of June 30, 2026, India is the company's second-largest market by daily active users worldwide and one of its fastest-growing.
The Campus Leaders program for students
The Campus Leaders program already runs at more than 60 universities in North America. It is now expanding to India, its first launch outside the US and Canada. Students can apply to become design leaders on their campus, host events and build design-focused programming.
The first Campus Leaders cohort in India will begin in January 2027. Applications close at 11:59 p.m. IST on November 7, 2026.
Figma Education also gives university students in India and elsewhere free access to Figma's professional-grade tools.
Partnership with Sarvam and AI
Figma announced an MCP partnership with Sarvam. MCP is a method that lets AI tools pull context from Figma, meaning design files. Users can now add Figma data to their workflows. Sarvam's Indus model joins existing partners such as Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Xcode and VS Code.
Figma's research surveyed 507 designers, developers and product managers in India (over 1,800 people globally). It found that 65% of Indian builders are especially excited about how their work is changing, compared with 44% in the US and EMEA. Also, 83% of those surveyed in India say they are more productive or efficient.
Why it matters to readers
If you are a student studying design, the free Figma access through a university program may be useful. If you already work in design or code, it is worth knowing that popular AI tools increasingly work directly with design files. The news mainly concerns India, but it shows a broader trend: design is becoming more important, and AI is changing how teams build products.
Sources: 🔗 Figma Blog