Apeejay Stya University, Sohna

About College:

The Apeejay Stya University (ASU) in Sohna, near Gurugram in Haryana was established in the year 2010. It is named after Dr. Stya Paul, who is the founder of the Apeejay Education Society (AES). The university is the culmination of the work of this society which has now completed half a century, having been first established in the 1967. There are a number of schools run by this society in Delhi, Noida, Jalandhar, Mumbai and Faridabad. Likewise, there are higher educational institutions as well run by the AES. The ASU prides itself on being India’s first fully- dedicated Libera Arts and first Meta University. A meta university is one where students from different disciplines can mix and match certain subjects and electives. 

Due to the onset of automation and digitization, the realization has emerged that over the next few decades, a lot of the demand for repetitive work will cease. A lot of tasks which required the knowledge of STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) subjects will be handled by automated tools or robots. These robots however, will never be able to replace human innovation, creativity and empathy. And that is why there is an urgent need to develop competencies towards the Liberal Arts. Even in the traditional STEM disciplines, concepts around the social sciences and liberal arts are being wedded in. And that is why the requirement for this kind of a university. 

Programmes can be pursued here right from undergrad to the doctoral level. The entire academics is administered by one of the eight schools within the university. These are Schools for – Education, Biosciences, Legal Studies, Management Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Design & Visual Arts, Journalism & Mass Communication and Engineering & Technology. Not all schools run programmes across the three levels, it depends on the demand. Due to the focus on the Liberal Arts and the Meta nature, several courses in the first year across these schools are kept common. This leads to an exchange of ideas, as well as honing some sort of collaboration across the areas. Integrated programmes are also available at the different levels. 

The ASU has been proactive in signing international collaborations with various institutions. Due to the relative novelty of liberal arts as a discipline in India, some of these foreign universities have helped with course design and curriculum planning. Such partnership deals have been signed with entities from the USA, France, the Netherlands, the UK, China and Canada. The maximum collaborations are in the USA with local players such as- Georgia College & State University, University of Central Florida, Philadelphia University, and the Delaware Valley College. Besides universities, the ASU also has a collaboration in place with the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). It is a professional accounting body headquartered in London. The body administers the Chartered Certified Accountant professional title. The ASU has also forged direct ties with a foreign government for information collaboration and student development. It is with the Ministry of Tertiary Education in Mauritius that has recognized the ASU as a resource centre. 

The Apeejay Stya University has been associated with innovation right from its inception. And that is why in 2012, the university was awarded with the “Best Innovation by Private University” tag at the World Education Summit in 2012, held in New Delhi. One of the reasons for such high esteem within the industry is the commitment towards research. This can best be exemplified through the joint research projects being executed through its collaborations with multiple players. Examples of such research collaborators includes the likes of – National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, the Endocrinology Lab in Delhi, the BR Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical research which is also in Delhi and the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. An agreement also exists with the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing. 

Life at the ASU is much more than merely academics. In fact, the ethos of the college encourages students to explore different pathways. And that is why much stress is laid on the extracurricular activities here. For social service, the Rotract Club has its own chapter within the ASU.  A book club exists titled We the Students that encourage reading habits and book discussions. The Fusion International Club’s main role is to integrate the students from different parts of the world studying together at the ASU towards a mutual collaboration. Ample sporting facilities also exist within the campus. The university is relatively new. But in this short period of time, due to the strong reputation forged, the placement trajectory has kept going up. Some of the top recruiters in recent years have been the likes of – Ranbaxy, Zomato, Escorts, Biocon, Siemens, Honda, BBC, Jabong, Doordarshan, Amtek, BSNL, Wipro, HCL, Medanta, Rapid Metro, TIE, Aspiring Minds and Jubilant Life Sciences, among others.