Undergraduate Transfer Students – Admissions Process and Related Policies

Admissions Process

Application

Registering and starting the Application Form

1. An applicant needs to register with a personal email address (Gmail, Yahoo or Personal Domain IDs preferred) to start an application form.
2. Use a personal email address and not a school or office-affiliated email address to ensure that they have access to this email address till the duration of their undergraduate degree programme
3. All communication from Ashoka University will be sent only to the applicant’s registered email address

Instructions to fill in the Application Form

1. The application form has multiple sections and is designed to capture all aspects of an applicant. The applicant is advised to carefully and thoughtfully engage with all the sections in the form
2. You can move from one section to the next only after you have filled all the mandatory fields in the section. You will be able to revisit these filled mandatory fields to edit them later on
3. The applicant should supply all relevant information in both mandatory and non-mandatory sections of the application form
4. The applicant should attach all mandatory documents to prevent the application form from being considered ‘incomplete’. The applicant’s photograph, government identification document, and examination mark-sheets should be clearly visible and not password-protected
5. The applicant should attach collaterals (certificates, photographs, artwork, writing samples, web-links, letters of experience/completion/appointment, etc) for optional sections to substantiate their listed activities and areas of engagement
6. The applicants are required to respond to the mandatory personal essay prompts. They should be written by the applicant and should aim to address the stated prompt/cue as genuinely as possible
7. The Letter of Recommendation is mandatory and should be sent from someone who has interacted with the applicant in an academic/professional capacity. Applicants are requested to get prior consent of the Recommender before enlisting the Recommender’s Name and Details on the application form
8. Once an applicant enters their Recommender’s Details in the application, the Recommender will directly receive a link from the Office of Admissions to share their Letter of Recommendation. Applicants are strongly advised to enter the Recommender’s details carefully as this information cannot be edited at a later stage
9. The applicant should choose the relevant Major that they wish to transfer into as offered by Ashoka University
10. Ashoka University also offers extensive support to its students for English language, writing, learning disabilities, medical, mental health, and counseling
11. Please find the details for these support centers here: Support at Ashoka. To enable the university to extend adequate support to the applicant during the admissions process and on campus (if made an offer of admission), the applicant is requested to submit all relevant details in the Support at Ashoka Section of the application form
12. Please make sure that you click SUBMIT after you finish completing your application form

Admissions Related Policies

Please find below all the policies relevant to Ashoka University’s Undergraduate Transfer Admissions. Read through all the policies carefully before submitting your application form.

Application Policies

1. Applicants can apply to Ashoka University’s undergraduate programme only once within a given academic year. If an applicant has already applied to the undergraduate programme as a fresh undergraduate in one admissions cycle, their application to the undergraduate programme as a transfer student within the same admissions cycle will be considered ineligible. Please note if applicants submit more than one application to the undergraduate programme as a fresh undergraduate and transfer student, the application that has been submitted first will be considered, any other application will be rendered ineligible
2. Applicants with less than one full year of study in another university must apply as a first-year undergraduate applicant through the regular/fresh application process for incoming undergraduate students
3. Applicants must have completed a minimum of one full year of academic education in a university elsewhere and should have their final marks/grades and transcript(s) for their year of study in the previous university
4. Applicants who have completed a minimum of one full year of study in another university but do not have their final marks/grades and transcript(s) for one full year of study (including Trimester III/Semester II/Year I if yearly or annual examination system is followed), will be eligible to apply to the Undergraduate Transfer Students Programme but will be required to submit one full year of academic marks/grades and transcript(s) upon receipt if made an offer of admission to ensure that their offer of admission is valid
5. Applicants who have completed a minimum of one full year of study in another university and enrolled/completed one semester at Ashoka University through the Visiting Student Programme (VSP) are eligible to apply to the Undergraduate Transfer Students Programme and have their Ashoka University academic credits acquired through the VSP transferred
6. A transfer applicant must submit:
   • Academic transcripts from their current/previous institution/university
   • An essay response expressing their interest and reason(s) for applying to Ashoka University
   • Personal Essays, Letter of Recommendation, Extracurricular Activities and all other mandatory information
   • A document detailing the number of courses, course titles, and the official course description of the courses that the applicant has taken at their previous institution/university (This will be required for the consideration of transfer of credits)
   • A detailed course syllabus for each of the courses (along with the respective course codes) taken in the previous institution/university for which they are seeking transfer credits (this will be required to identify course equivalence and for the consideration of transfer of credits)
7. The Office of Admissions might require the candidate to furnish a Transfer Certificate and/or No-Objection Certificate from their current/previous University/ College/ Institution if the applicant receives an Offer of Admission and wishes to join Ashoka University
8. Misrepresentation of facts or any information in an applicant’s application form will result in cancellation of their candidature or withdrawal of their Offer of Admission
9. All decisions taken by the Admissions Committee are final. No request for re-evaluation of the final decision received by the applicant will be considered
10. The admissions process will be followed in its entirety on the basis of the applicants’ holistic performance in academic and non-academic parameters. No other formal or informal recommendations from any individual(s) will be entertained or considered
11. Ashoka University only accepts transfer applicants for admissions beginning in the Monsoon Semester (August) of each year. Complete applications must be submitted online through the application portal by the application deadline mentioned. All dates and deadlines for Transfer Admissions are published by the Office of Admissions on the Ashoka University website. There is no entry for transfer students into the Spring Semester (which starts in the month of January)
12. Application Forms for Financial Aid will be open to candidates only post receiving a Firm Offer of Admission from Ashoka University. Candidates who have been made an offer of admission will be sent all the requisite details to be able to apply for financial aid. The application process for financial aid is a separate process that requires candidates to submit various financial documents. All relevant details are on the Ashoka University website
13. A student who has been made an offer of admission and has accepted their offer of admission on the portal and made the required Offer Confirmation Fee and Semester 1 payments will be enrolled and required to move into campus, register themselves, and attend the Orientation Week sessions, which will be followed by the commencement of classes for the Monsoon Semester

Admission Policies 

Once an applicant has completed all the components of the application process and submitted their form, the applicant will have to participate in the mandatory assessments, which require the applicant to take the Ashoka Aptitude Assessment and write an On-the-Spot Essay. The Admissions Committee will evaluate each application in a holistic manner and shortlist candidates for the Interview.

The Office of Admissions follows the policies given below:

1. Ashoka University does not have a policy of deferral of admission. An Offer of Admission is only valid for the academic session commencing at the end of the Admissions cycle in which the candidate has applied. If a candidate wishes to delay their joining by a year or more, they will have to re-apply and go through the entire admissions process within the Admissions Cycle for the academic session they wish to join
2. Ashoka University follows a holistic admissions policy. A candidate is eligible to receive a Firm Offer of Admission from Ashoka University based on their overall performance in their academic and non-academic pursuits as well as on their performance in the Assessment and Interview Round processes. The academic parameters require a candidate to submit grades/scores from Grades X to XII along with their undergraduate degree transcripts for a minimum of one year (as available)
3. Admissions decisions are rolled out at the end of the Transfer Admissions Cycle as per the dates mentioned in the Admissions Calendar

Academic Policies and Credit Transfers 

1. Ashoka University’s graduation requirement for the 4-year B.A./B.Sc (Honours) degree mandates that students acquire a total of 160 academic credits (144 academic credits regardless of their choice of Major plus 6 non-academic credits). These credits can be a combination of Ashoka University’s credits and Transfer academic credits
2. Ashoka University’s graduation requirement for the 3-year B.A./B.Sc degree mandates that students acquire a total of 114 (108 academic credits regardless of their choice of Major plus 6 non-academic credits). These credits can be a combination of Ashoka University’s credits and Transfer academic credits
3. Enrolled transfer students are encouraged to start with the Ashoka Foundation Courses/Core Requirements in Semester 1. They might not be able to do any courses toward their Major in Semester 1 unless recommended by the Office of Academic Affairs
4. Transfer Students can transfer academic credits from their previous institution/university toward their Ashoka University academic credits/graduation requirements. These will include course equivalents up to a maximum of 12 academic course credit equivalency toward Ashoka University’s Foundation Courses (3 FCs) and up to a maximum of one-third academic course credit equivalents toward their choice of Major (Pure or Interdisciplinary)
5. The Office of Admissions does not decide the number of academic credits that can be transferred for a Transfer student who has been offered admission. The Office of Admissions will contact the Office of Academic Affairs once the admissions offers are declared and handover all the previous university academic transcripts of offered transfer students. The Office of Academic Affairs will be responsible for verifying the equivalence of FCs, and will in turn connect with the various Departments for their inputs on the credit transfers for specific Major specific courses. The respective ‘Major’ Department will verify the course(s) equivalence and finalise the academic credits to be transferred. This information will be communicated to the student, who can then make an informed decision on whether they wish to transfer into Ashoka University
6. Once the academic credits to be transferred have been finalised and communicated to the student and the student has accepted their offer of admission, no negotiation or requests for additional credit transfers will be entertained by the Office of Admissions, the Office of Academic Affairs or the respective ‘Major’ Department
7. Enrolled transfer students are typically required to take all nine (9) Ashoka University Foundation Courses. However, if transfer students have course equivalents from their previous institution/university toward any of the Ashoka University Foundation Courses, the Office of Academic Affairs will verify these equivalent courses and transfer those credits but only up to a maximum of three Ashoka University Foundation Courses (12 academic credits). All remaining Ashoka University Foundation Courses will have to be taken by the transfer student during the course of their programme in order to graduate
8. Applicants who have received an offer of admission through the Undergraduate Transfer Students Programme are eligible to have their Ashoka University academic credits acquired through the Visiting Student Programme (VSP) to be considered for transfer
9. Applicants who have received an offer of admission through the Undergraduate Transfer Students Programme are eligible to have any previously acquired undergraduate academic credits from Ashoka University courses to be considered for transfer
10. The Office of Admissions, in collaboration with the Office of Academic Affairs and the individual Majors’ Departments, will verify, finalise and notify transfer students of the number of credits/specific courses that will be transferred to their Ashoka University academic credits/graduation requirements
11. The University Grants Commission (UGC) requires students to be mandatorily enrolled in one or more universities for a minimum of three years to fulfill their graduation requirements
12. The University Grants Commission (UGC) requires students to complete their undergraduate programme within a maximum of five years in one or more universities to be granted an undergraduate degree

Educational Board-Specific Policies 

Please click here to read Ashoka University’s Educational Board-Specific policies.

Discipline-Specific Policies

Ashoka University has specific policies for particular disciplines/courses for students who wish to Major or Minor in any of the disciplines listed below. Please read our discipline-specific policies if you are interested in pursuing a major/ minor in the following disciplines:

• Economics
• Economics and Finance
• Economics and History
• Economics and Public Policy
• Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE)
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Computer Science and Entrepreneurial Leadership
• Computer Science and Mathematics
• Philosophy and Computer Science
• Physics

Please click here to read Ashoka University’s policies on Mathematics courses offered by various educational boards.