Ashoka University was set up on the collective philanthropy model. As of yet, 90+ founders have pooled in 750+ crore INR to support this initiative because they believe in the philosophy of Ashoka. We have some of the best global faculty members who have left their teaching career at top colleges abroad to come and teach at Ashoka.
The campus is residential and has been equipped to house around 1,150 students in 715 furnished, air-conditioned rooms. Residences have common bathrooms on each floor, a lounge area and facilities for laundry and fitness
More than 50% of students in Ashoka University are under some form of scholarship in both the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Admission to Ashoka University is based purely on merit, and no student has ever been turned down due to financial constraints.
Each faculty member has to mandatorily be involved in research projects. At present, there are 80+ research projects being conducted at Ashoka University. The institute has developed the following Research Centres to encourage academic and research collaborations in order to establish an exciting interdisciplinary environment on campus
For example, Trivedi Centre for Political Data at Ashoka University conducts real-time data collection on all ongoing and incoming General and Assembly Elections, and diffuses data-driven analysis to media.
For example, Trivedi Centre for Political Data at Ashoka University conducts real-time data collection on all ongoing and incoming General and Assembly Elections, and diffuses data-driven analysis to media.
Students are challenged by important questions. Ashoka’s professors push students to answer them, and they, in turn, thrive on delivering
Through a unusual act of collective public philanthropy in India, Ashoka University has been founded by some of the most diverse entrepreneurs and professionals of our time. Having been educated in premier educational institutions in India and abroad themselves, the founders have sound understanding of challenges and needs of the higher education sector in India. They believe that innovative models of higher education can play a significant role in the development of thinkers, leaders, entrepreneurs and institution builders across different fields - something that India urgently needs.
Ashoka is a fully residential campus and has been equipped to house around 1150 students ( with the incoming Undergraduate and YIF batches by August 2016) in 715 fully furnished, air-conditioned rooms. Read on to know more about facilities at Ashoka University.
Academic programmes at Ashoka are delivered in collaboration with world-class institutions who have partnered with us. The University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Carleton College, King’s College London, Sciences Po, Trinity College Dublin, UC Berkeley, Wellesley College and Yale University have all signed on to provide assistance in developing our unique curriculum and establishing the necessary academic departments.
An Institutional Review Board (IRB) comprises a committee that reviews and approves research involving human subjects. The purpose of the IRB is to ensure that all human subject research be conducted in accordance with legal, institutional, and professional ethical guidelines.
Ashoka's focus on providing a multi-disciplinary liberal arts curriculum, coupled with a stringent selection process ensures that it absorbs the best leadership talent in the country and turns them into innovators for the public. For recruiter testimonials and further information regarding recruiting our graduates, visit this page.
We are actively looking for driven and creative individuals to join us in our journey to revolutionise higher education in India. To know more about the various opportunities to work with us, please see the listings below.
At Ashoka, when not occupied with academics, students find themselves immersed in pursuing creative hobbies and interests through clubs and societies. These prove to be an ocean of opportunities to contribute to and enrich the campus experience culturally and intellectually.
At Ashoka, clubs and societies are autonomous bodies which design their own leadership structure and modes of functioning. A “society” is an umbrella of two or more clubs with diverse pursuits, brought together by a focal interest area. A “club” on the other hand has a very definite field of work it is committed to.
Ashoka University is dedicated to providing students with plenty of activity outside the classroom, and hence provides various avenues and infrastructure facilities to do the same.
Ashoka University’s Residence Life programme, the first of its kind in India, is dedicated to revitalising the campus residential experience, starting with creating a community in every residence hall. You could spend time chatting with your RA, lounging in the common room, or studying with friends. You will share a room with a classmate in one of our meticulously-maintained residence halls while learning from your fellow students from all around the world. Settle in to a residential programme that helps you make the most of every University moment.
Ashoka University has a focussed approach towards providing students a supportive environment and ensuring their holistic well-being during their stay here.
Applications for admissions for the session starting August 2018 are now open. To apply to Ashoka University, please CLICK HERE.
Ashoka’s Young India Fellowship Programme offers a rolling admission process and is split into two rounds. Each round accepts applications within a specified time-frame and selects Fellows from the pool of applications from that round.
The University strives to give its international students the best of opportunities, immersing them in an environment that will make them feel at home. Right from celebration of festivals to art auctions and interdisciplinary talks, Campus life at the University is an exciting experience. At present, Ashoka University hosts students from over fifteen countries across three batches of the Undergraduate programme. These students have come from places near and far such as- Nepal, Dhaka and Dubai to Ethiopia, Nigeria and California.
The application process for admissions for the PhD Programmes, starting August 2017 is now open. To apply, please CLICK HERE to register yourself and access the Application Form. To know more about the programme and the concerned departments, please visit this page
The University is committed to making world-class education affordable for students from all walks of life. At present, more than 50 per cent of our students are under some form of scholarship in both the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Throughout the year, Ashoka University organises a number of events for prospective students to attend so that they may learn more about the University and its liberal arts programme. These events take the form of workshops for Class XII students, open houses for parents, and school sessions led by our outreach team.
Ashoka University is proud to present its Student Ambassadors: a diverse cohort of students from all over the country who represent the values and ethos of the university.
The ambassadors look forward to starting a conversation with you regarding any aspect of the university and share their experiences about their journey.
The ambassadors look forward to starting a conversation with you regarding any aspect of the university and share their experiences about their journey.
The Centre for Entrepreneurship focuses on developing student skills outside the classroom in entrepreneurship and leadership, in order to prepare them for the professional world. The Centre will arrange a wide array of workshops, guest sessions, and mentoring activities for students. It will also act as the primary gateway to industry tie-ups and collaborations in order to assist students with summer internships as well as jobs after graduation. The Centre for Entrepreneurship will also support the Ashoka Quest, a unique social internship for students, which takes place during the fourth year of the undergraduate degree programme.
The Ashoka Centre for Well Being is one-of-a-kind on campus counselling center at Ashoka University which is dedicated to the care and well-being of mental health of Ashoka fraternity. Our team of counselors, professionals and volunteers, who offer a range of services from individual counselling sessions to group workshops. We aspire to help anyone who accesses our services in building emotional resources, developing better coping strategies and combating the stress and anxiety that accompany our daily life.
The Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) perceives two major needs for social impact in India today. One is to influence the capital to be more strategic and informed; the second is to ensure that the capital can be effectively absorbed. To do this, the Centre aims to leverage Ashoka University’s rich student body and academics to foster strategic philanthropic action and help build capacity for social institutions. The Centre envisions to be the foremost organisation for early as well as seasoned social entrepreneurs and philanthropists for research. It will do so by analysing gaps in social impact and philanthropy, creating a framework to address these gaps, enhancing awareness and building capacity for its participating stakeholders. Our stakeholders include: students and academicians, existing and early-stage social leaders/entrepreneurs, philanthropists, corporates, donors and the government.
The liberal arts education offered at Ashoka University inculcates critical thinking skills and recognises that these are inextricably linked to the practice and art of effective academic writing. The CWC is a unique offering that works in close collaboration with University faculty to train students to think analytically and innovatively and write cogently and lucidly. As the Indian secondary and higher secondary education system provides very limited opportunities for students to develop such thinking and writing skills, the CWC is a crucial component of Ashoka University’s pedagogy. As a flagship facility in India, the CWC also aims to make significant contributions to developing writing education in the country.
The Genpact Centre for Women’s Leadership (GCWL) is a first-of-its-kind industry academia partnership between Genpact and Ashoka. GCWL will combine the power of academic research with best practices from industry, to empower women through research and advocacy, training programs and supportive infrastructure to become leaders who drive gender inclusive growth.
The Ashok Trivedi Centre for Political Data aims at promoting data-driven research, policy work and journalism by providing open access to scientifically collected and treated political data and by offering data services to non-profit organizations. It will play a major role at facilitating the diffusion of empirically sound data and information on matters of public interest, and can become a major tool for anyone interested in public debate in India.
Ashoka’s newest centre CSBCC, the Centre for Social and Behavior Change Communications aims to develop new communications tools to bring about social and behaviour change in order to advance pro-poor development programmes in areas such as public health, water management, sanitation, disease eradication and poverty reduction.
The Centre for Studies in Gender and Sexuality is the first in the country to conduct research into both gender and sexuality. It will house researchers working on these subjects in local and global contexts, and will work out ways in which this research can impact activist interventions in daily life. CSGS also hopes to become a one-stop archival space for all academics, activists, and media persons working on issues of gender and sexuality. The Centre sees itself as fulfilling a global requirement that will be fully responsive to local needs.
Ashoka University is committed to establish an academic institution that provides intellectually curious students with a well-rounded liberal education comparable to any educational institution globally. With its strong emphasis on foundational knowledge, hands-on experience with real-world challenges, and thorough academic research, an Ashoka education prepares students to be leaders in a diverse world. The varied summer Programmes the university offers are developed keeping this objective in mind.
Ashoka University offers a year-long Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies and Research (DipASR). The PG programme is open only to Ashoka Undergraduates.
All undergraduates graduating with Bachelor’s Degrees at the end of their third year, or who have completed at least 92 credits of their degree programme, are eligible for admission into the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies and Research programme, also known as the Ashoka Scholars Programme (ASP). Students must formally apply for admission to the ASP by the end of the Monsoon semester of their third year.
The PhD programme will start in Aug 2017.The program will cater to all disciplines in Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematical Sciences and Physical Sciences.
The Office of Global Education and Strategic Partnerships (GESP) spearheads all international partnerships for the university working with prospective partners to negotiate, develop, build and manage partnerships.
The Young India Fellowship (YIF) is a one year multidisciplinary postgraduate diploma programme in Liberal Studies. YIF exposes them to a diverse set of subjects and perspectives, delivered by some of the finest teachers and practitioners from India and around the world.
The Master of Arts (MA) in Liberal Studies at Ashoka University is a 32-credit, one-year programme taken by students who have graduated with a diploma in Liberal Studies from the Young India Fellowship, and have been accepted by an Ashoka University faculty mentor to work on a specific research project as a graduate assistant.
Ashoka University’s Masters programme in Economics has been developed to provide students the opportunity to be trained in modern Economics by highly qualified economists. Our approach to Economics is a comprehensive one. We believe in teaching students both how to ask and address questions that are informed by economic theory as well as how to substantiate their arguments with rigorous data analysis.
Research at Ashoka University pursues big ideas, creates new knowledge and makes discoveries that truly matter. Ashoka University fosters a rich research community, across disciplines and supports the research pursuits of faculty members, visiting scholars, students, affiliated institutions, and other research institutions.The intellectual infrastructure allows us to recognise existing academic gaps and societal issues, to develop solutions and inspire change. Ashoka University’s interdisciplinary nature of research pushes the boundaries and bridges disciplines to open endless possibilities for exploration.
Ashoka University requires each student to take all of its 12 Foundation Courses. There is no specific order in which students have to take the Foundation Courses. However, it is advisable for students to take as many of these courses as they can before declaring a Major.
All students who graduate from Ashoka are expected to acquire superior skills in organizing their thoughts both orally and in writing. The platform for these skills is provided by Ashoka's unique three-semester Critical Thinking sequence. In each of their first three semesters, Ashoka students take a Critical Thinking seminar distinguished by small class size, close faculty attention to students' writing, communication and thinking processes, and individualized tutoring at Ashoka’s Centre for Writing and Communication.
A Major is the subject in which a student will earn a Bachelors’ degree – either a B.A. or a B.Sc.12 courses are required to complete a Major in a subject; 16 courses are required to complete an Interdisciplinary Major.
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
Interdisciplinary Majors
Students are encouraged to consider declaring a Minor in addition to their Major. Those who complete six full 4-credit courses (24 credits) in a subject outside their Major field of specialisation qualify for a Minor in that subject. In addition to the subjects listed below, we also offer Minors in all our eleven Major subjects.
Every semester, Ashoka University offers several 2-credit Co-Curricular Courses in Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Language. Students have to take 2 Co-Curricular Courses as part of their graduation requirements; in any semester, a student can take a maximum of 1 Co-Curricular Course.
The Office of International Programmes offers exciting international opportunities that will serve to further enhance your learning experience and allow students to take on new academic challenges that they may not encounter in their normal setting. During their time abroad, students will have a unique chance to immerse themselves in a different culture as well as build lasting connections with people from all over the globe. An international experience is not only academically challenging but is sure to give our students a new perspective and broad horizons.
The Office of Summer Programmes at Ashoka University is committed to assisting students with their efforts to become academically successful and globally aware individuals. With this commitment, students at Ashoka are encouraged to take advantage of the summer programming opportunities the university offers.
Ashoka offers an intensive six-week study program held during the summer. A range of 4 credit courses are offered across disciplines. Enrolling for the summer session provides an opportunity for Ashoka students to take courses that helps to gain additional credits, accelerate in their academic pathway or simply explore other areas of interest.
The Ashoka Summer Internship Programme (ASIP) provides unique opportunities for undergraduate students to intern at corporations, research organizations, and social impact groups (NGO’s) or local schools, in the summer. ASIP is a natural extension to the Ashoka educational experience by adding a valuable professional experience while continuing to build leadership skills for the students.
Ashoka offers an intensive six-week study Programme held during the summer break, between the Spring and Monsoon semesters. A range of 4 credit courses are offered across disciplines and are taught by experienced Ashoka faculty. Enrolling for the Summer Term provides an opportunity for Ashoka students to take courses that helps to gain additional credits, accelerate in their academic pathway or simply improve grades. In order to maximize the benefit of the summer term all students are encouraged to seek academic advising before opting for courses. The summer term also provides opportunity to study with students from partner institutions of Ashoka thus giving them an experience in global learning.
Young Scholars Programme is a unique summer residential Programme which introduces high school students to the idea of a liberal arts education. It is a certified, week-long, residential Programme where students are exposed to different disciplines through experiential and hands-on learning. The Programme includes a range of activities including lectures, workshops, discussion groups, project-work, presentations and performances. This Programme is for high-calibre high school students who are studying in Class 11 and 12. With its unique interdisciplinary coursework taught by world-class faculty, this Programme is an excellent introduction to the academic and cultural environment of college life at Ashoka University.
The University strives to give its international students the best of opportunities, immersing them in an environment that will make them feel at home. Look through the various steps and dates to fill the application form.
Ashoka University offers need-based financial aid to its students, including international students. Read more about our Financial Aid policy.
Ideal candidates for Ashoka University are intellectually curious, eager to learn, committed and are from a variety of academic backgrounds. When assembling undergraduate batches, the Admissions Committee looks for applicants who excel in the classroom as well as in their other interests and passions. Our students demonstrate enthusiasm, zeal and depth in whatever they pursue.
Applicants must fill the application form online through the website, or can request for a downloaded form from the Admissions Office. There is no fees/cost for beginning or submitting an application
The Young India Fellowship (YIF) is a one-year multidisciplinary postgraduate diploma programme in Liberal Studies.The Fellowship promotes diversity and applicants from all areas of specialisation are encouraged to apply. Apply here now.
The Master of Arts (MA) in Liberal Studies at Ashoka University is a 32-credit, one-year programme taken by students who have graduated with a diploma in Liberal Studies from the Young India Fellowship, and have been accepted by an Ashoka University faculty mentor to work on a specific research project as a graduate assistant. The programme is highly interdisciplinary and entails coursework from a variety of disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, behavioural sciences and the natural sciences.
Ashoka University’s Masters programme in Economics has been developed to provide students the opportunity to be trained in modern Economics by highly qualified economists. Our approach to Economics is a comprehensive one. We believe in teaching students both how to ask and address questions that are informed by economic theory as well as how to substantiate their arguments with rigorous data analysis. Admissions to the programme, which starts in August 2017, will be based on an entrance examination that will be held on Sunday, 7 May, 2017 in multiple centres around the country.
Ashoka University, in compliance with UGC guidelines, offers a 3-year Bachelor’s Degree programme. It also offers a year-long Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies and Research (DipASR).
All undergraduates graduating with Bachelor’s Degrees at the end of their third year, or who have completed by that time at least 92 credits of their degree programme, are eligible for admission into the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies and Research programme, also known as the Ashoka Scholars Programme (ASP). Students must formally apply for admission to the ASP by the end of the Monsoon semester of their third year.
All undergraduates graduating with Bachelor’s Degrees at the end of their third year, or who have completed by that time at least 92 credits of their degree programme, are eligible for admission into the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Studies and Research programme, also known as the Ashoka Scholars Programme (ASP). Students must formally apply for admission to the ASP by the end of the Monsoon semester of their third year.
The Centre for Individual and Group Experience (CIGE) is one-of-a-kind on-campus counselling center at Ashoka University which is dedicated to the care and well-being of mental health of the Ashoka fraternity. It is comprised of trained psychoanalytic psychotherapists and a mental health counsellor who offer a range of services from individual counselling sessions to group workshops. The Centre also works towards building awareness about mental health issues by organising guest sessions, seminars and educational workshops.
The CWC is a unique offering that works in close collaboration with University faculty to train students to think analytically and innovatively and write cogently and lucidly. As the Indian secondary and higher secondary education system provides very limited opportunities for students to develop such thinking and writing skills, the CWC is a crucial component of Ashoka University’s pedagogy. As a flagship facility in India, the CWC also aims to make significant contributions to developing writing education in the country.
Ashoka University offers an inclusive education framework that welcomes, nurtures and supports students with learning difficulties. As an essential component of the framework, the Office of Learning Support (OLS) has been established at the University to design various activities and coordinate the entire process for students seeking help related to learning disabilities.
Many noteworthy people across the globe — scientists, teachers, artists, writers, entrepreneurs, activists, politicians — have had to overcome learning difficulties in order to excel in their chosen field. With our focus on inclusive education, it is our hope that every Ashoka student can likewise find their own path to excellence.
About Ashoka University
Ashoka University is a pioneer in its focus on providing a liberal education at par with the best in the world. The aim at Ashoka is to help students become well-rounded individuals who can think critically about issues from multiple perspectives, communicate effectively and become leaders with a commitment to public service.
An Ashoka education carries a strong emphasis on foundational knowledge, thorough academic research based on rigorous pedagogy, and hands-on experience with real-world challenges. It prepares students to be ethical leaders in a diverse and complex world, the kind envisioned by Emperor Ashoka two thousand years ago.
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