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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 Expands Research Ecosystem with New Planetary Health Centre
On 14th July, 2026, Ashoka University, financially supported by Dr. Amit Varma, established the Dr. Ajit Varma Centre for Planetary Health, a new transdisciplinary centre under the Trivedi School of BioSciences. The centre aims to study environmental change and human health through collaborations with three different disciplines: computer science, for health modelling through AI, Economics, for climate change evaluation, and Psychology, for studying community adaptation. Esta
Ananya Mahnot
Jul 28


Ashoka Students Recount Police Violence, Solidarity at Jantar Mantar Protests
Someday, in the decades to come, there will be two groups of people in India. There will be the people who remember the student protests of the summer of 2026, and there will be the people who can say ‘I was there’. We, the reporters of The Edict, were there. Jantar Mantar has emerged as the epicenter of the nationwide student protests calling for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan since the 6th of June 2026. It was also the site for the lathi charge an


Ashoka Overhauls Foundation Course Policy, Met with Student Pushback
On June 3rd, 2026, students were informed that the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) had revamped the Foundation Course (FC) Policy to mandate the completion of all nine FCs within the first two years for upcoming batches. Following departmental notifications, OAA informed the student body through a mail sent on June 30th, 2026, nearly a month later. The OAA cites the reason behind this change as ensuring “FCs serve their foundational purpose early in the undergraduate journey
Sayantan Hazra
Jun 30


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


Ashoka University Announces Vachani School of Advanced Computing (VSAC)
On 11th March 2026, Ashoka announced the launch of Vachani School of Advanced Computing (VSAC), under a grant given by Mr. Sunil Vachani, founder and chairman of Dixon Technologies . The move comes a year after the announcement of Ashoka School of Advanced Computing (ASAC). The school seeks to expand the scope of computer science by integrating it with other disciplines to address complex social issues. With its launch, Ashoka will offer more interdisciplinary majors, such a
Nila Nagaraja
Mar 29


Between the Lines: Haryana Government Drops Proceedings Against Prof. Ali Khan
Nearly a year after the arrest of Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his Facebook post on Operation Sindoor, the case has now effectively been brought to a close. On Monday, 16th of March 2026, the Haryana government informed the Supreme Court that it would not grant sanction to prosecute the professor, a decision that halts further criminal proceedings. The State’s decision, described in court as a “ one-time magnanimity, ” was noted by a bench led by Chi
Sammaira Mittal
Mar 24
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