New Delhi: The South Asian University, established by the 8 SAARC nations, has announced its admission schedule to its Masters and PhD programmes for the ninth batch. The university has simplified the process of application, which can be done entirely online, for applicants from the SAARC region. Applicants will be required to take a SAARC-wide common entrance test on 15 April 2018 and admission will be offered on merit. Applicants from Non-SAARC countries can get direct admission without having to take the test.

The student population in this international university is almost entirely made up of students from the eight member nations of the SAARC – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. About half the students are from India and the other half from the rest of the SAARC countries. Each SAARC country has a quota but if students from one country are not available, the seats are filled up by students from other countries as per SAU rules. Established in 2010, the university at present offers Masters and PhD programmes in the areas of Applied Mathematics, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Economics, Legal Studies, International Relations and Sociology. SAU also offers generous scholarships to students on means-cum-merit basis. Details are available on the SAU website.

Dr. Kavita Sharma, President SAU observed, “Although we have limited intake in our Masters and Research Programmes, we are seeing an upward swing in the number of applications with every passing year and the competition for each seat is getting tougher for the aspirants. When we move in to our new campus, the construction of which is going on at a rapid pace, we would be able to increase the intake as well as open new faculties.”

The last date for applications at SAU is 20 March 2018 and the entrance test for both Masters & PhD programmes is scheduled for 15 April 2018. Further details can be accessed from the university website www.sau.int

 To further facilitate free flow of information between the university and prospective students, SAU has opened a dedicated admission blog, which, among other things, provides detailed information about the programmes, admission procedure, videos and details of Admission Volunteers with whom one can interact and ask questions about the admission process and other things concerning the university. Those interested can also communicate with the university through social networking pages.