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Drawing the Line on Campus Discourse: Ashoka Denies Entry to Scholar Ravikant Kisana Ahead of SAPSC Book Talk
On Wednesday, 2nd September, 2026, the Savitri Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle (SAPSC), a student-led initiative “celebrating and spreading the revolutionary ideas of Phule, Shahu, Ambedkar, and Periyar” released a statement condemning Ashoka University’s denial of Dr. Ravikant Kisana’s entry for a book talk scheduled for 14th September. Dr. Ravikant Kisana, Assistant Dean of Woxsen University and scholar of Cultural and Critical Caste studies, was invited by SAPSC as a visiti
Antara Kulkarni
2 days ago


Ashoka University and Oxford University announce the Ved Mehta Award for Creative Nonfiction
This year, Ashoka University and Balliol College of Oxford University introduced the Ved Mehta International Prize in Creative Nonfiction. Named after the Indian-born writer and journalist, whose work was indispensable in the field of modern nonfiction, this award, of the amount of £10,000, will be given to books written in English from any country and published during the preceding year. Additionally, in the case of translated books, the translator will be awarded an amount
Sayantan Hazra
5 days ago


Ashoka Seeks Fourth-Year Volunteers to Move Off-Campus as Housing Falls Short
On 18th August, 2026, Dr. Dheeraj Sanghi, Dean of Student Affairs (DSA), sent an email addressing the 4th-year undergraduate male students (UG ‘27), seeking volunteers to shift from on-campus housing to off-campus accommodation at TDI Lake Grove. This move has come following a surge in student intake for the UG ‘30 cohort and raises questions about future housing crises. The email stated that with the incoming first-year cohort consisting of over 1000 students, the administra
Sayantan Hazra
5 days ago


Management at Ashoka: More Than Just a New Major
Ashoka University has introduced a new B.Sc. (Hons.) in Management, which will be available to students from the incoming Undergraduate Cohort of 2026 onwards. The degree will be housed under the Havells School of Management and Leadership, established following a ₹250 crore philanthropic grant announced in February 2025. The programme builds on Ashoka's existing entrepreneurship offerings, which have seen more than twelve hundred undergraduates enrol in over forty courses, w
Sammaira Mittal
Aug 24


Ashoka Introduces Dedicated Admissions Test for STEM Majors, Reflects a Shift in Liberal Arts Admissions
This year, Ashoka University introduced the Ashoka Mathematics Challenge (AMC), a new admissions pathway for applicants intending to pursue majors in Computer Science, Mathematics, or Physics, and similar STEM degrees, creating the university’s first discipline-specific admissions route that requires applicants to identify with a specific academic discipline before entering the university. The assessment will be available in a round of special admissions on 23rd August, 2026,
Ananya Mahnot
Jul 29


Ashoka Appoints New Director for Centre for Well-Being Following Transition
Around three months after the departure of the founding director of the Ashoka Centre for Well-Being (ACWB), Dr. Arvinder Singh, and the subsequent restructuring of campus mental health services, Ashoka University has appointed Nivedita Singh as the new Director of ACWB. Singh announced her appointment in a public post, describing the decision as the outcome of an “intense and deeply reflective process”. A mental health professional, Singh has worked as a psychotherapist, tra
Ananya Mahnot
Jun 3


Performing Arts Spaces Adapt to Changes in Black Box Theatre Policies
On 15th January, 2026, Professor Justin McCarthy, Director of Performing Arts at Ashoka University, shared new policies for booking the Black Box theatre. The new policy allows each production one day of rehearsal, with a maximum of six days per semester that the theatre can be booked. These changes follow the wear and tear that the theatre experienced in the past semester due to an increased volume of productions, and to make the space more equally accessible to all. The rev
Ananya Mahnot
Jun 2


Director of Ashoka Centre for Wellbeing Steps Down, Prompting Structural Changes in Campus Mental Health Services
Psychotherapist Dr. Arvinder Singh, the director and founder of the Ashoka Centre for Well-being (ACWB), has stepped down after nearly a decade of heading counselling services for students, faculty, and staff at Ashoka University. In an email to the students on March 9th, 2026 Dr. Singh wrote of her departure from the ACWB, expressing gratitude for the center and for the students who contributed to “build a culture of well-being”. In an interview with The Edict, Ajitesh Vishw
Ananya Mahnot
Apr 30


LPG Supply Crisis Reaches Home: Campus, Dining, Vendors Feel the Trouble
On 26 March, Abbas Aragchi, the Foreign Minister of Iran, stated that India will be one of five countries allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, allowing India to import LPG from the Middle East. However, issues in dining and food outlets at Ashoka persist. The Edict has been interviewing owners of food outlets on campus since mid-March to gauge the difficulties that all of them have been facing. On March 11, Mr Himanshu Sachdev, Vice President (Operations), emaile


The Making of the Kota Factory: The Topper Pipeline Case for Ashoka’s 2026 Undergraduate Scholarship
Ashoka University introduced 500 new scholarships for undergraduate intake in 2026. These scholarships, while crucial for bridging academic access across regions, also shape the kinds of minds most likely to enter Ashoka’s classrooms from the 2027 batch onward. At first glance, the increase in scholarships appears reasonable but there is more to what these scholarships look like. Previously, about 50% of Ashoka students received need-based financial aid (2021-2024) , making
Kaushiki Ishwar
Apr 1
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