Ashoka University announces call for admission for 2018

Offering a multidisciplinary undergraduate program in different perspectives 

Ashoka started an undergraduate programme in the year 2014. The founding batch graduated this May with 118 students on its campus in Sonipat

Ashoka University, a pioneer in Liberal Education in India announced a call for student applications for its first round of admissions for the undergraduate programme to be October 11, 2017. The University will commence its fifth batch of undergraduates on August 18, 2018.  Ashoka offers a multidisciplinary undergraduate program, in the interest of exposing students to many different perspectives in and out of the classroom.

Students work towards a three-year B.A. (Hons) Or B.Sc. (Hons) degree at Ashoka, choosing from a variety of pure and interdisciplinary majors. A fourth-year postgraduate diploma programme is also open to all Ashoka graduates who would like to conduct further research in an academic discipline of their choice or an internship in the social sector. The University strengthened its Sciences department as it launched pure majors in physics and biology from the academic year 2017-2018.

The admission process ensures that students are not evaluated only on their board exam scores. A comprehensive application takes their Grade IX to XII marks, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, social work and other achievements into consideration. Students can also share their SAT or ACT scores and a letter of recommendation that can supplement their application.

Based on their application, a candidate is then shortlisted for a personal interview with the admissions team. On the day of the interview, all applicants have to also appear for a mandatory on-the-spot essay and an optional Ashoka Aptitude Test (AAT). The AAT is a 90-minute test that has three sections: verbal, quantitative and analytical reasoning.

To get a firm offer of admission from Ashoka University, an applicant needs to have taken the SAT or ACT or Ashoka Aptitude Test (AAT) or have their final class XII board scores. 

Ashoka started an undergraduate programme in the year 2014. The founding batch graduated this May with 118 students on its campus in Sonipat, Haryana.

Need-based Financial Aid at Ashoka

The financial aid programme is one of the highlights at Ashoka University where need-based financial support is offered to all students who have limited resources and means. The aid offered depends on the financial status of the parent(s)/guardian supporting the applicant’s education. More than 50 percent of the students at Ashoka are studying on financial aid. Awarding financial assistance to students in need also ensures that applicants from all kinds of socio-economic backgrounds are empowered to be a part of an outstanding undergraduate programme or university.  This system also ensures that students that are unable to pay for additional expenses such as books, laptops, and meals are covered under the aid. While a lot of international universities across the world offer aid based on affordability, it is still a relatively new concept in India.

About Education at Ashoka University

85 percent of the graduating students will return to Ashoka for a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies and Research (DipASR). Some students will be going abroad for their Master’s to universities such as the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and SOAS London. Two students have been selected to work at Citibank as Graduate Management Associates. 42 percent of the founding batch students went to study abroad for a semester to universities such as King’s College (London), KoC University (Turkey), Sciences Po (Paris), NUS (Singapore) and University of California (Berkeley). 66% students of the founding batch are on need-based scholarships and scholarships worth Rs 11 crores were awarded to the first batch at the time of admission.

Some of the other academic achievements of students include names like McPherlain Chungu who presented a paper on the role of the media as a tool to address gender inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa, at the 24th World Congress of Political Science, in Poznan, Poland, in 2016. Narmada Varadarajan, a student in Mathematics received a place in the prestigious programme Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, which has a long history of nurturing mathematical talent. 

For more information contact www.ashoka.edu.in