Everything you wanted to know about Ashoka University UG Admissions but were afraid to ask
2018-12-05Ashoka University is a private university with a focus on liberal arts and sciences. It is located in Sonipat, Haryana, which is about 50kms from New Delhi and with good access via road. It was established in 2014 by efforts of 70 eminent personalities which include the likes of Ashok Trivedi (Co-Founder of iGate), Dilip Shanghvi (founder Sun Pharma), Nirmal Jain(founder India Infoline), Sanjeev Bikhchandani (naukri.com, shiksha.com) and Jaithirth Rao (founder MphasiS).
What courses for UG are offered at Ashoka?
Ashoka offers 3 (+1 optional) year UG program in either B.A.(Hons) or B.Sc.(Hons)
The university encourages students to extend 1 more year after the standard 3 year program to do a further in-depth research in their chosen major under the guidance of a faculty member and complete the standard 4 year university education, which many universities abroad require to admit students to their Doctoral Research Programmes leading.
The university offers either a Pure Majors or Interdisciplinary Majors. A Major is the subject in which a student will earn a Bachelor’s degree. The Interdisciplinary Major goes beyond the traditional boundaries of disciplines and departments to give students an opportunity to combine multiple academic interests into a single degree programme.
Pure Majors offered at Ashoka:
English, Economics*, Psychology, History, Philosophy, Sociology & Anthropology, Political Science, Mathematics*, Computer Science*, Physics*, Biology
Interdisciplinary Majors offered at Ashoka:
Computer Science & Entrepreneurial, Leadership*, Computer Science & Mathematics*, Economics & Finance*, Economics & History*, English and Journalism, History & International Relations, Politics, Philosophy & Economics*, Politics & Society, English & Creative Writing
The Majors marked with '*' require the candidate to have Mathematics as one of their subjects in Class 11 & 12.
In addition, students at Ashoka will need to take up a Minor subject - a subject outside their field of specialization.
Minors offered at Ashoka:
Entrepreneurial Leadership, Environmental Science, International Relations, Media Studies, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Creative Writing
All major subjects are also offered as Minors. So, a student of B.Sc. (Hons) Mathematics can take up Psychology as a minor.
Can students study off-campus?
No, the programs including UG programs at Ashoka University are fully residential.
What is the admission process at Ashoka?
Ashoka follows a two-stage holistic assessment system to gauge every candidate's true potential. All candidates are evaluated based on the following:
1. Academic consistency and rigour
2. Extracurricular and co-curricular involvement
3. Critical thinking and aptitude
4. Personal Interview
Stage 1:
Candidate can register themselves and fill the Application Form on-line.
There is no application fee.
Key components of the Application Form include:
- Personal details
- Academic performance from Grade IX to XII, or equivalent (application can be submitted before Grade XII results are declared)
- Details of extracurricular and co curricular involvement
- A 500-word personal essay to share the candidate's story
- Letter of Recommendation (highly recommended)
- SAT/ ACT score (optional)
Stage 2:
Shortlisted candidates will be sent an invitation for the Interview Round. Key components of the Interview Round include:
- On-the-spot Essay (30 minutes: Mandatory)
- Interview with a panel (In person / Skype: Mandatory)
- Ashoka Aptitude Test (90 minutes: Mandatory except for SAT/ACT takers)
To get a firm offer of admission, an applicant needs to have scores for at least one of the following: SAT / ACT / Ashoka Aptitude Test (AAT) / final Grade XII Board Examination
The AAT would be strongly recommended if candidate does not have SAT/ACT score.
Admission rounds:
The university has 4 rounds of admission cycle:
Each round has an application close date (ACD), a decision notification date (DND) and an acceptance deadline (AD).
2019 round details are as follows:
Round 1: ACD - 21st Nov'2018, DND - 04th Jan'2019, AD - 15th Feb'2019
Round 2: ACD - 09th Jan'2019, DND - 01st Mar'2019, AD - 12th Apr'2019
Round 3: ACD - 10th Apr'2019, DND - 24th May'2019, AD - 05th Jul'2019
Round 4: ACD - 12th Jun'2019, DND - 12th Jul'2019, AD - 02nd Aug'2019
Session commences 19th Aug'2019
What is the format of the Ashoka Aptitude Test (AAT)? Is there a sample paper available?
The AAT tests problem solving skills (includes numerical and spatial reasoning) and Critical thinking skills (includes understanding arguments and reasoning, using everyday language)
20 problem solving questions
20 critical thinking questions
Duration of test:
90 minutes
You can download a sample question paper by clicking here
What type of on-the-spot essays are asked in Stage 2?
Please click here to download sample essays and prompts of the On-the-Spot Essay.
How do I apply? And what is the application fee?
The application link is https://ug-application.ashoka.edu.in/Login.aspx
There is no application fee.
In which cities are the interview round held?
Usually, the stage 2 (interview round) is held in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata.
The candidates would have to choose the preferred city from amongst these cities at the time of filling-in application form.
The shortlisted candidates from round 1 would be asked to report to the preferred city for round 2.
What is the fee structure at Ashoka?
The fee structure for 2019 August intake is as below:
- Tuition Fee : Rs. 7,40,000 per annum
- Residence Cost: Rs. 1,55,000 per annum
- Total: Rs. 8,95,000 per annum
In addition, there are following one-time payments at the time of admissions:
1) Admissions Fee of INR 35,000 at the time of acceptance of the offer of admission
2) Refundable Security Deposit of INR 75,000(Security Deposit of INR 50,000 and Meal Cost Deposit of INR 25,000) at the time of acceptance of an offer of admission.
Note:
- The Residence Cost component includes the following: Room and utilities such as water, electricity (100% backup and air conditioning), and laundry facilities
- Services such as books, printing, photocopies, stationery, etc. will be charged on actuals adding up to INR 10,000 approximately
- The annual fee is subject to revision in consonance with inflation. In the last three years, the fee has gone up by approximately 8% annually. However, this percentage is not fixed and is subject to change
How about scholarships?
The University offers need based assistance and fee waivers to students. The University claims that more than 50% of its students benefit from financial aid which could be fee waivers (ranging from 25% to 100% of tuition fee).
The University also has tie-ups with financial institutions that provide education loans at affordable rates without any collateral.
How can one get a firm offer of admission in Round 1 or Round 2 when the final Class 12 results are not out yet and the markesheet of Class 12 is not available yet?
For applicants whose final Grade 12/Equivalent examination scores are not available at the time of evaluation, the SAT/ACT or the Ashoka Aptitude Test (AAT) may be used to make a firm offer of admission.
What is the University DI code if I need to apply using SAT score?
Ashoka University DI Code for SAT applicants is – 7343. All applicants applying with SAT/ ACT scores need to send their official transcripts to the University
Which score is preferred while making an admission decision by the University? Grade 12, SAT, ACT or AAT (Ashoka Aptitude Test)?
The highest score out of the final Grade 12/Equivalent examination results or Ashoka Aptitude Test (AAT) or ACT or SAT will be considered while taking a decision on the applicant’s candidature. There is no preference of one score over the other.
Taking the Ashoka Aptitude Test provides candidates with an extra parameter and a higher chance of getting a firm decision. Hence taking the AAT is highly recommended.
About the author: Tarun is a Co-founder at MyExamPlan.com. He can be reached at tarun@myexamplan.com