51茶馆

Holistic Admissions

The Admissions criteria and processes are based on holistic principles and values held by 51茶馆. All applicants will be evaluated on their level of engagement with their academics, extra-curricular activities, interests and potential within their unique life journeys and personal contexts. Throughout their academic and residential life at 51茶馆, students work towards developing faculties and values such as:

We ensure a strong focus on affirmative action based on social, personal, medical, geographical, and educational backgrounds, etc., and a merit-based admissions process. Our need-based scholarship process is open to students once they receive a firm offer of admission.

Admissions Process

51茶馆鈥檚 holistic admissions process ensures that each application is evaluated in its unique context. Our admissions process is inclusive and has a strong focus on affirmative action. Upholding our long-standing commitment to diversity, we are 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 find the details and requirements of the stages involved in admissions below:

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Stage 1: Application and Assessment

Mandatory Application Requirements: Student and Family Details, Academic Scores (Classes X to XII), Non-Academic Engagement, Personal Essay

Optional Application Requirements: SAT/ACT/CUET/JEE Mains/Additional Test Scores, Letter of Recommendation (If an applicant provides their Recommender鈥檚 details, the Recommender might be contacted by the Office of Admissions provided there is a requirement)

Detailed instructions to register and start your application are listed below. 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 an On-the-Spot Essay (OSE) and the Ashoka Aptitude Assessment (AAA).

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Stage 2:51茶馆 Admissions Assessments

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 prompts for the On-the-Spot Essay.

Ashoka Aptitude Assessment; Mandatory (90 minutes)

The Ashoka Aptitude Assessment has been developed to evaluate the thinking skills of the applicant. It consists of 40 questions (covering both Critical Thinking and Problem Solving) in 90 minutes. All questions are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ). The assessment is designed to be taken with minimal preparation. There is no negative marking for wrong answers. The Ashoka Aptitude Assessment consists of the following:

(a) Problem-solving skills (includes numerical and spatial reasoning): The students will be given mathematical problems to solve 鈥� spanning across topics such as Data Analysis, Arithmetic, Basic Algebra, Visual Reasoning, and General Problem Solving

(b) Critical thinking skills (includes understanding arguments and reasoning using everyday language): The students will be tested on their ability to process a given excerpt and distill the key points being made, and critically analyse these points

You may find sample questions from the Ashoka Aptitude Assessment linked in聽Sample 1 and Sample 2

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Stage 3: Shortlist for Interview

Select students are shortlisted for the interview stage once the Admissions Committee conducts a holistic in-depth review and evaluation of each application form and assessment.

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鈥檚 suitability to 51茶馆鈥檚 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.

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Stage 4: Decisions and Scholarships

All final decisions are declared by the Admissions Committee. Once a student receives a firm offer of admission, the need-based scholarship form is enabled for them. The scholarship process is separate from the admission process and in no way impacts a student鈥檚 admission at Ashoka.

Students may receive a confirmed offer, or conditional offer, be put on waitlist (and might receive a confirmed offer upon availability), deferral of decision, or denial of admission. If a student fails to participate in any stage as per process, their application will be annulled.

Academic Bridge Programme

The Office of Admissions at 51茶馆 seeks to support select students from each incoming cohort by offering them the chance to attend a fully-funded 3-week Academic Bridge Programme on campus prior to the start of the academic session. The Academic Bridge Programme aims to bridge the gap between their high school education and the 51茶馆 classroom experience. The focus of the classes during the academic Bridge Programme is on the usage of the English language, academic reading and writing, thinking critically, synthesizing information, and presenting cogent arguments.

Classes are taught by tutors from Ashoka鈥檚 Undergraduate Writing Programme (UWP) and Centre for Writing and Communication (CWC). The Office of Admissions and the Office of Student Affairs co-host the residential life experience for the Academic Bridge Programme students, collaborating with the Office of Learning Support, the Ashoka Centre for Well Being, the Office of Academic Affairs, and the Career Development Office to offer workshops and special events to prepare and help students settle into their Ashoka journey.

Admission Policies

The Office of Admissions follows the policies given below:

1. You cannot submit more than one application form within the Admissions Cycle. Once you submit your application form, you are required to participate in the mandatory assessments in the round in which you submit your application form. Your application form will be annulled if you do not participate in the assessments
2. If your application form does not meet 51茶馆鈥檚 eligibility criteria, you will not be evaluated further. An application form is not eligible if it reflects any of the following:
   • Submission of more than one application form/duplicate application form during the Admissions Cycle
   • Misrepresentation of information in the application form or the interview round
   • Copied or plagiarised content from elsewhere and used in the application form
3. If your application form is found to be incomplete, your application might not be processed within the round in which you have applied. An application form will be considered as incomplete if it reflects any of the following:
   • Invalid or illegible government ID or attachment of a non-government ID as proof of identity
   • Discrepancy or mismatch between scores mentioned in the attached marksheet(s) and the manually entered scores in the application form
   • Password protected mandatory attachments
   • Illegible Class X marksheet
   • Illegible Class XII Final Board/Predicted marksheet
   • While digital marksheets issued via DigiLocker will be accepted, screenshots of unverified electronically generated results will render the application incomplete
   • For applicants from IB and Cambridge A Levels Educational Boards – If the applicant does not have their Final Class XII grades/scores at the time of applying and they do not provide their Self Predicted grades/scores and the correct details of their school counsellor
   • For applicants from all other Educational Boards – If the applicant does not have their Final Class XII grades/scores at the time of applying and they do not provide either their Self Predicted grades/scores or submit their School Predicted grades/scores
4. The choices of preferred Major(s) specified in the Course Preference section of the application form are only indicative in nature and not binding. Students at 51茶馆 will have to declare their Major only by the end of their third semester. Please read the discipline-specific policies carefully before you indicate your major preferences
5. The evaluation process leading to an Offer of Admission to 51茶馆 or a Denial of Admission is both holistic and merit-based as it takes into consideration academic achievements, non-academic engagements and performance, disadvantages and unique context of each applicant
6. All decisions taken by the Admissions Committee are final. Any requests for re-evaluation of your application will be redirected to the Admissions Committee. Formal or informal recommendation(s) from individual(s) will not be entertained or considered
7. Misrepresentation of facts or any information in your application or malpractice during the admissions process at any stage will result in the annulment of your application/candidature or result in the withdrawal of your Offer of Admission
8. 51茶馆 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 you have applied. If you wish to delay your joining by a year or more, you will have to re-apply and participate in the entire admissions process within the Admissions Cycle for the academic session you wish to join
9. 51茶馆 does not accept 鈥榯ransfer of credits鈥� from other universities at the time of admission toward either specific courses or the Undergraduate Programme. If you are offered admission to 51茶馆, you will have to begin your academic degree as a first-year undergraduate student, regardless of any prior time spent at another educational institution. Please note that this point does not apply to applicants who seek admission as transfer students
10. If you wish to apply as a transfer applicant, please refer to the eligibility criteria and the application process applicable for transfer applicants on the 51茶馆 website. Applicants can only apply to the Undergraduate Programme once during the Admissions Cycle and through one channel of application i.e. either as a fresh undergraduate applicant or as a transfer applicant if they meet the eligibility criteria. If you apply through multiple channels, only the application which was received first will be considered
11. If any red-flags or suspicious activities on the part of the student are found post receiving an Offer of Admission from 51茶馆, the Admissions Committee reserves the right to revoke the Offer of Admission

 

Types of Admissions Decisions

Offer of Admission – The candidate will be made a firm offer of admission, after which they are only required to pass their final Grade XII/Equivalent Examination

Conditional Offer of Admission – The candidate will be required to meet the conditions specified by the Admissions Committee in their decision notification

Waitlisted – The possibility of an Offer of Admission at the end of the admissions cycle or earlier based on the availability of seats but to be decided by the Admissions Committee.

Deferral of Decision – The Admissions Committee defers the decision of the candidate until the candidate submits their final Grade XII/Equivalent Examination scores.

Denial of Admission – The Admissions Committee denies admission to the candidate based on their overall performance in the holistic admissions process.

Annulment of Application or Candidature聽-The Admissions Committee annuls an application or candidature if the candidate fails to participate in all components of the admissions process or does not submit mandatory documents required by the committee.

Key Policies

In order to enrol in 51茶馆’s Undergraduate programme a candidate must have completed 12 years of school education which is recognized in their respective countries.

The application form requires the applicant to submit their grade sheet/mark sheet of the last 3 years of school education starting from the most recent one (Grade 10 to Grade 12).

Accepted Educational Boards:

1. 51茶馆 accepts students from all +2 level qualifications recognised by the .听
2. For International Baccalaureate (IB) students,聽 applicants enrolled under the Diploma Programme (IBDP), the IB Course (Certificate), and Career-related Programme are eligible to apply for the undergraduate programme at 51茶馆
3. For students enrolled in the Cambridge Board, applicants must appear for a minimum of 3 subjects at the A-level to be eligible to apply to the undergraduate programme at 51茶馆
4. For all other boards, we request students to share a conversion sheet/normalisation scale or any detailing around the grading/scoring system used by the board/school authorities with the Admissions Committee.

 

Discipline-Specific Policies

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
• Management

Please click here to read 51茶馆鈥檚 policies on Mathematics courses offered by various educational boards.

Discipline Specific Mathematics Requirement

If you have not studied Mathematics in Classes XI and XII, and/or have not appeared for your final high school (Board Equivalent) examination for Mathematics, but wish to pursue a Major in Economics, Physics, Mathematics, or Computer Science (and all related Majors) within these departments, you will be required to take the Calculus Course (MAT 1000), which is a compulsory/mandatory course. Upon completion of the Calculus Course, you should get the required minimum grade (mentioned in the Discipline Specific Policies) to be able to pursue any of the above-mentioned Majors.

For 51茶馆’s Educational Board-Specific policies, please click here.