SOUTH ASIAN UNIVERSITY 

South Asian University (SAU), New Delhi was established in the 2010. It is the international university established by the eight-member nations of the South Asian Association for the Regional Co-operation (SAARC) viz. the Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The University has been the affiliated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for its programs. It aims to provide the liberal and humane education to the brightest and the most dedicated candidates of the South Asia so that a new class of the quality leadership is the nurtured. The university offers the post-graduate and the doctoral programs in the various disciplines. The University is the currently functioning from Akbar Bhawan Campus in the Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. 

South Asian University Admission:

The University conducts entrance exam for admissions to all of its courses offered. Also, the University has reservations for candidates from SAARC Countries. Below mentioned are the details: 

COUNTRY 

India

Pakistan

Bangladesh

Afghanistan

Bhutan 

Maldives 

Nepal 

Sri Lanka  

Countries outside SAARC 

South Asian University Scholarships:

SAU is committed to awarding financial aid to needy and deserving students. The following scholarships are available to candidates admitted in the University: 

·         President’s Scholarships (For MA/M.Sc. and LLM students only)- Two scholarships are offered for the each academic program: one to the candidate scoring the highest marks in the Entrance Test in the Indian list and the other to the candidate scoring the highest marks in the non-Indian list (South Asian countries other than India) who finally joins the University. The scholarship is offered for two years and will be renewed in the second year subject to satisfactory performance in the first year.

·         SAARC India Silver Jubilee Scholarships for the Masters and PhD Programs: It is instituted by the Ministry of the External Affairs (MEA) Government of India, are offered for Masters and Doctoral level studies to meritorious candidates coming from one of the following lists of the eligible countries specified by the MEA: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and Nepal. MEA has made available 75 SJS scholarships for Masters's level students to SAU. The MEA has laid down detailed criteria regarding the award of these scholarships. SJS scholarships are awarded based on merit.

SAU Merit Scholarships (For MA/MSc and LLM students only): Two SAU Merit scholarships are available in each academic program and shall be awarded as per the following criteria:

·         Indian: Based on the entrance test, from the merit list the top two Candidates will be awarded SAU merit scholarships, which excludes President scholarship holder.

Non-Indian: Based on the entrance test, from the merit list the top two candidates will be awarded SAU merit scholarships, which excludes the holders of the President and any SJS scholarships, who finally join the University. 

Candidates can avail a few scholarships, fee waivers as well as freeships. Scholarships and freeships are available to the students with meritorious academic performance and/or entrance test results. All Ph.D. candidates will receive tuition fee waiver. The Scholarships ir Freeships available to SAU students are: 

·         President’s Scholarships (M.A. / M.Sc. and LL.M students)

·         SAARC India Silver Jubilee Scholarships for Master’s and Ph.D. programs

·         SAU Merit Scholarships (M.A. / M.Sc. and LL.M students)

·         SAU Freeships (M.A. / M.Sc. & LL.M students)

·         SAU Tuition Fee Waiver for the Ph.D. students

·         Financial Support from SAU for Ph.D. programs

SAU gives financial support to Ph.D. candidates who do not receive any kind of scholarship/sponsorship or JRF support.  All scholarships or fee waivers/freeships are granted for one year and their continuation depends on the good conduct and satisfactory performance. 

South Asian University Courses:

The University attracts candidates from all member nations and its degrees are recognized by all the eight SAARC countries. Following are the courses offered by the University or college: 

Department   Courses Offered

Computer Science      M.Sc.     Ph.D.                           Sociology                       MA         Ph.D.   M.Phil.                  International Relations    MA         Ph.D.

Mathematics      M.Sc. (Applied Mathematics)

Legal Studies                   LLM

Economics           MA (Development Economics)    Ph.D.                  

 Life Sciences and Biotechnology     M.Sc. 

South Asian University Facilities:

·         Library: The current library spreads over a total area of 4500 sq. ft. The library has texts and reference books covering different the subjects including Computer Sciences, Mathematics, Biotechnology, Sociology, Economics, Law and the International Relations. There are about 14,500 volumes of books available at the library with the seating capacity of 100 users. SAU Library is the member of INFLBNET (Information and Library Network) and INDEST (Indian National Digital Library in the Engineering Sciences and Technology)

·         Hostels: Shared hostel accommodation is provided to those candidates who join the University from outside Delhi. The hostels have currently three floors which house about the 65 girls and 190 boys.

·         Medical Facilities: All the admitted candidates are covered under the Medical Group Insurance Scheme up to INR 1,50,000 for which full premium is paid by the University. In addition, the University has its own Health Centre where the limited OPD facilities are as available. 

South Asian University Fees and Eligibility:

Course  Fees 

MA  

M.Sc

L.L.M  

South Asian University offers Masters's and Ph.D. degrees in seven fields, which are as  Economics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, International Studies, Sociology, and Legal Studies. The Master’s degree is the full-time program with a duration of two years and has 30 seats per course. The minimum residency requirement for Ph.D. in the SAU is three years. It is the full-time program and has four seats per specialization. 

·         The application process for admission in SAU is common for all courses. Students can apply from SAU’s official website.

·         Candidates must have a Bachelor’s degree for admission to any Master’s program.

·         Master’s degree is needed for admission to Ph.D. programs.

·         Selection criteria for all the courses or programs include an entrance test. For Ph.D. candidates, there is an additional step of the Personal Interview.

·         Seats are reserved on the basis of nationality with 50% of seats reserved for Indian students. 

SAU Ph.D. Admission:

SAU offers a research Ph.D. program in seven specializations. Admission to the Ph.D. program requires the student to pass the Entrance test and clear the Personal Interview organized by SAU. The basic eligibility criterion for the program is the Master’s degree in the relevant field with the minimum required percentage. 

The entrance conducted by the University will be offline and candidates can download sample question papers from the SAU website. The test will be conducted at the different centers allotted in the SAARC countries. 

The students can apply for the entrance exam on the official website of SAU. All the courses have the same application process and application fee of the INR 670/- 

Key Points: 

·         All Ph.D. programs require students to have Master’s degree in the relevant field or equivalent.

·         50% of seats in Ph.D. programs are reserved for Indian candidates. 

SAU MA, M.Sc & LL.M. Admission:

SAU offers three PG programs in the six specializations. Admissions to these programs include clearing the Entrance Test conducted by the University. The minimum educational qualification for applying is a Bachelor’s degree in the relevant subject with the minimum required percentage. 

The entrance exam organized by the University is offline and is conducted in the various selected centers in the SAARC countries. It must be noted that the exam will be conducted simultaneously at the centers in each country. Sample question paper is available on the SAU official website. 

To apply for the program or entrance test, candidates must visit the SAU website. The application process for all the courses are same with the application fee of the INR 670/- 

Key Points: 

·         Students must have a valid three-year Bachelor’s degree with the minimum required percentage (50% for M.A. & LL.M and 55% for M.Sc.)

·         Candidates who have a four-year Bachelor’s degree/ a two-year Bachelor’s degree who have also cleared the first year of the Master’s program are also eligible.

·         50% seats are reserved for Indian candidates, while the remaining seats are divided between the other SAARC countries

·         The University prepares separate merit lists for each country and the competition is between the students of the same country. 

SAU Application Process:

The application process is common for all the Master’s degree and Ph.D. programs in SAU. To apply, 

·         Go to the official website of  the SAU

·         Select ‘Admissions’ and click on the ‘Apply Online’ link

·         Register and apply online by the paying INR 670/-

·         Payment can be done online or through the Bank Draft for the same amount

·         The bank draft must be sent to  the Deputy Registrar, Admissions, South Asian University, New Delhi. Students must read the instructions carefully and apply them accordingly. 

SAU Reservation Criteria:

SAU reservation criteria for the Master’s programs: 

·         50% seats for Indian candidates.

·         4% seats for the applicants from Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, & Sri Lanka

·         10% seats for applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh

·         10% seats for Candidates from outside the SAARC Region.

Separate merit list will be prepared for each country based on the performance. If seats allocated to one country are not filled, they will be allocated to candidates from other countries. 

For Ph.D. programs, 50% seats are reserved for Indian candidates and the remaining 50% seats for applicants from all the other 7 SAARC countries put together. Two merit lists will be prepared, one for the Indian candidates and the other for the other seven SAARC countries. 

What happened?

The administration of the SAU has decided to move the university to its permanent location in Maisangarhi, Chattarpur. Despite offering online courses for the past two years, candidates claim that no progress has been made on the relocation process. Before this, SAU had been operating out of the Akbar Bhawan office of the Ministry of the External Affairs (MEA) since its inception in 2010. The switch to the online courses was partially due to the pandemic and partially to facilitate the move to the new campus. 

Since the offline classes resumed in August  the university has once more decided to the hold classes in a hybrid format from January 11 to February 3.  This is because the Akbar Bhawan will be solely under the ownership of the MEA from the January 1, and the administration must vacate the building by  the December 31 . “Candidates have either been asked to the leave or sign the undertaking. We have paid over Rs 30,000 for the full-time offline course, and instead, we are compelled to settle for an offline one and accommodate ourselves in the extreme situation,” says Sandra.