Undergraduate Transfer Students – Admissions Process and Related Policies

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Admissions Process

Ashoka University’s holistic admissions process ensures that each application is evaluated in its unique context. Ashoka University’s admissions process is inclusive and has a strong focus on affirmative action. Given its emphasis on diversity, Ashoka University’s admissions process is mindful of applicants from various socio-economic and geographical backgrounds, learning needs and physical impairments, along with their access to opportunities in both academic and non-academic spheres while processing applications and selecting students for the programme.

Please note that once your Application Form has been submitted, the Admissions Committee for transfer applicants will evaluate your application. If your application meets the eligibility criteria, you will be invited to participate in the interview round process, post which you will receive the final decision on your candidature.

Please find the details of the stages involved in admissions in the table given below:

Admissions Process

Stage 1:

Application & Assessments

  • Application: Academic scores, SAT/ACT scores, Personal Essays, Recommendation, Non-academic Engagement
  • Assessments: Ashoka Aptitude Assessment; On-the-Spot Essay (Mandatory)

In depth review of all applications and assessments by the Office of Admissions

Stage 2:

Shortlist for Interview

  • Interview with Panel (Mandatory)

Interviewers will interact with shortlisted candidates to get to know them and evaluate their suitability for academics at Ashoka

Stage 3:

Decisions and Financial Aid

Confirmed Offer

  • Conditional Offer
  • Waitlist (upon availability)
  • Deferral of Decision
  • Denial of Admission

Admissions Committee declares decisions. A separate Financial Aid application form will be opened for those granted an Offer of Admission

  • Holistic Admissions Process where each applicant is evaluated within their unique Context
    • Strong focus on Affirmative Action based on social, personal, medical, geographical, educational backgrounds, etc, to name a few
  • Merit based Admissions process and decisions
  • Need based Financial Aid Policy after offers have been made

Please refer to this image-

Application

Registering and starting the Application Form

  • An applicant needs to register with a personal email address (Gmail, Yahoo or Personal Domain IDs preferred) to start an application form. 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
  • All communication from Ashoka University will be sent only to the applicant’s registered email address

Instructions to fill in the Application Form

  • The application form has multiple sections and is designed to get to know the applicant. The applicant is advised to carefully and thoughtfully engage with all the sections in the form
  • The applicant should supply all relevant information in both mandatory and non-mandatory sections of the application form
  • 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
  • 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
  • The applicants are required to respond to three mandatory personal essay prompts. They should be written by the applicant and should aim to address the stated prompt/cue as genuinely as possible
  • The applicant should get the consent of the recommender before enlisting the recommender’s name on the application form
  • The applicant’s choice of preferred Majors under the Course Preference Section in the application form is only indicative in nature
  • Ashoka University also offers extensive support to its students for English language, writing, learning disabilities, medical, mental health, and counselling. 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
  • Please make sure that you click SUBMIT after you finish completing your application form

Assessments

Instructions regarding Assessments

Once an application form has been submitted within the deadline of a particular round, the applicant will be required to mandatorily participate in the Assessments on the date(s) mentioned in the Admissions Calendar. The Assessments consist of the following:

  • On-the-Spot Essay; Mandatory (30 minutes)
    The on-the-spot essay evaluates the following parameters: engagement with the prompt, critical thinking, clarity of thought, and creativity. The candidate will be given two topics to choose from at the time of writing the essay. The candidate cannot use any external resources to help them write the essay. The essay has no word limit and can be attempted with minimal preparation. Please click here to download sample essays and prompts of the On-the-Spot Essay.
  • Ashoka Aptitude Assessment; (90 minutes)
    The Ashoka Aptitude Assessment has been developed for Ashoka University’s admissions purposes by Cambridge and is based on the Thinking Skills Assessment to evaluate the thinking skills of the applicant. It consists of questions on problem-solving skills (includes numerical and spatial reasoning) and critical thinking skills (includes understanding arguments and reasoning using everyday language). It has a total of 40 Multiple Choice Questions (20 problem-solving questions and 20 critical thinking questions) and is designed to be taken with minimal preparation. Please click here to download a summary and a sample paper of the Ashoka Aptitude Assessment.

Interview

Instructions for the Interview

Each Application Form is read in detail and evaluated along with the Assessments in a holistic manner by the Admissions Committee, which shortlists candidates for an interview. Interviews are usually conducted across multiple cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, etc) in India. For applicants who are unable to travel to any of the cities where in-person interviews are conducted, there is a provision for an online interview with the interview panel.

In light of the Covid-19 Pandemic travel and safety restrictions, all interviews will be conducted online, till further notice.

  • Interview with a panel; Mandatory
    The Ashoka Interview seeks to understand and get to know the candidate, their background and story. It also evaluates various parameters of the application form submitted by the candidate to gauge the candidate’s suitability to Ashoka University’s academic and residential life programme. The candidate will be interviewed by a panel. The time taken for the interview might vary depending on the interaction

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

  • An applicant must have completed a minimum of one full year of academic education in a university elsewhere and must have received their grades and transcript(s) for the year of study. Students with less than one full year of study in another university must apply as first-year students
  • An applicant cannot submit more than one Application Form for entry into a semester. Duplicate applications will not be considered and might lead to termination of the applicant’s candidature
  • 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
  • An applicant must submit:
    • Academic Transcripts from their current/previous University/College/Institution
    • A document detailing the number of courses, course titles and the official course descriptions of the courses that the applicant has taken at the precious University/College/Institution (This will aid in the consideration of transfer of credits) 
  • The Office of Admission 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 pursue it
  • 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
  • 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
  • The admissions process will be followed in its entirety on the basis of the merit of the applicant. No other formal or informal recommendations from any individual(s) will be entertained or considered
  • Application Forms for Financial Aid will be open to candidates only post receiving a Firm Offer of Admission from Ashoka University

Admission Policies 

Once an applicant has completed all the components of the application process, the Admissions Committee will evaluate their candidature to shortlist them for the Interview Round. The Office of Admissions follows the policies given below:

  • Ashoka University does not have a policy of deferral of admission. An Offer of Admission is valid only for the semester in which the candidate has applied. If the candidate wishes to delay the joining by a semester or more, they will have to re-apply and participate in the entire admissions process 
  • A candidate who has been made an Offer of Admission will have to join at the start of the semester for which they have applied. A candidate will not be allowed to join in the middle of any semester
  • 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 their performance in the Interview Round process. The academic parameters requires a candidate to submit grades/scores from Grades X to XII and undergraduate degree transcripts as applicable. 
  • Admissions decisions are rolled out at the end of each of the round within the Admissions cycle. Once a candidate has gone through the Interview Round, they can expect to receive the decision from the Admissions Office soon.

Academic Policies 

  • Enrolled transfer students will be required to start with the Ashoka University Foundation Courses/Core Requirements in their first semester. They will not be allowed to do any courses toward their Major in their first semester
  • Enrolled transfer students will be required to take all the Ashoka University core courses. An equivalent Introduction to Critical Thinking course may be waived, but the student will have to take the Critical Thinking Seminars
  • Before Registration for their second semester is done, transfer students will be notified of the number of credits/specific courses that will be transferred toward their Major/Minor/Concentration. The Office of Academic Affairs in collaboration with the individual department(s) will be responsible for this and students should consult with the Office of Academic Affairs
  • Enrolled transfer students will be able to transfer only up to a third of the course credits that they need to have towards their major/minor/concentration transferred from their previous University. If a transfer student has additional relevant course credits from a previous University, the Ashoka University Office of Academic Affairs reserves the right to consider them on a case to case basis in discussion with the relevant department
  • Students who join as transfer students into the undergraduate programme in the year 2021 will only receive their official university-issued degrees at their convocation ceremony with the undergraduate class of 2024. A student might finish their coursework earlier depending on their transfer of credits toward their Major from their previous university’s academic experience but they will receive their degree only with the class of 2024

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:

Major or Minor(Disciplines)  Subject(s) Required in Grades XI and XII Department-Specific Details
Economics, Economics and Finance, Economics and History, Politics, Philosophy and Economics Mathematics The Department will not make any exceptions to this policy
Mathematics Mathematics For the Department to make any exceptions, students will have to demonstrate to a Faculty Advisor that they have sufficient knowledge and grasp of Mathematics (equivalent to the CBSE/ISC Grades XI and XII Mathematics course). Students are required to take the Mathematics Foundation Course and the Calculus Course early on to assess if they will be able to pursue Mathematics as a Major or Minor
Computer Science, Computer Science and Entrepreneurship, Computer Science and Mathematic Mathematics The Department will not make any exceptions to this policy
Physics Mathematics and Physics For the Department to make any exceptions, students will have to demonstrate to a Faculty Advisor that they have sufficient knowledge and grasp of Mathematics and Physics (equivalent to the CBSE/ISC Grades XI and XII Mathematics and Physics courses). Students are recommended to take the Mathematics Foundation Course and the Calculus Course to pursue Physics as a Major or Minor

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

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