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Azim Premji University was established as a not-for-profit, private autonomous university under the Azim Premji University Act 2010 of the Karnataka Legislature. The mission of Azim Premji University is to create outstanding and effective programmes of learning, research and advocacy in education, development and allied fields like health, nutrition, and livelihood. The University aims at facilitating systemic change in education and allied development areas by conducting extensive research, developing new talent, and creating domain knowledge. The Azim Premji Foundation is the sponsor of the University. Azim Premji is the Chancellor of the University and Anurag Behar is the Vice Chancellor,. The University offers post graduate courses in Education and in Development (M A in Education and M A in Development). The University campus is located on Hosur Road on the outskirts of Bangalore in Karnataka, India, which is a leased premise. The University’s private campus is under construction and located between Attibele and Sarjapura.

History
Azim Premji University was established by the Azim Premji Foundation (APF). APF is a non-profit organization focused in the area of primary education. The University was granted its charter by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly through The Azim Premji University Act of 2010.

The degree programmes offered by the University are aimed at socially committed students. The University began with the launch of two Post-Graduate programmes: Master of Arts in Education and Master of Arts in Development with a few select specializations.

The first academic session started in August 2011. The University’s first batch of 86 students who joined in July 2011 completed their two year program in May 2013. University held its first convocation ceremony on 1 October 2013 at Bangalore. The Governor of Karnataka Dr. Hans Raj Bhardwaj, who is the Visitor of the University and Mr. Azim Premji, Chancellor of the University presented degrees to the first batch of students.

The University student strength rose to 260 students in the third batch inducted in July 2013. The University has nearly 400 students in the two Masters Programs and more than 120 faculty and staff in 2013. Nearly 50% of students were from rural areas and small towns of India, across 20 states.

Campus


Azim Premji University began its operations from an interim campus located on the premises of P.E.S. School of Engineering on Hosur Road in Bangalore. The University currently operates in leased premises of over 1 lakh square feet. A permanent campus for the university is being developed on Sarjapur Road on the outskirts of Bangalore. The new 80 acre campus will cater to a community of 3500, with staff and student residences.

Academics
Azim Premji University offers post-graduate programs in education and development. It currently awards Master of Arts degrees in two areas: Education and Development. Students intending to pursue a career in teaching, particularly in rural areas and in poorer urban areas are given a preference in admissions to the programs. From the academic year 2013, the University has started offering specializations with Curriculum & Pedagogy in M.A Education and Health & Nutrition in M. A Development.

The University will be offering two new Masters programs - M.A. Public Policy and M.A. Sustainability for the 2015-17 batch of students. There is also a plan to offer undergraduate courses from 2015-17 batch of students when the University moves to its own campus.

The University has identified Teacher Education and undergraduate programs as a key requirement in India and is preparing to offer undergraduate and Integrated Teacher Education/ Masters Programs from the Academic Year 2015. With these new courses and programs, the University envisages around 800 students by 2014 and around 3000 students by 2017.

Library
The Library, which spans over 8000 sq. ft area, has a collection of over 22,000 books and more than 150 print as well as online journals. The modern IT infrastructure in the library allows students and researchers to access to its catalog and e-resources through WiFi technology. The library has a comprehensive collection of print, digital and media resources on education, philosophy, psychology, sociology, development studies, law, political science, health and public policy. Online resources such as Ebsco, JSTOR, Manupatra, Questia, Sage and World Bank eLibrary are also provided for the teaching and research staff.

Admission process
Admissions are open to graduates from all disciplines. Students from rural areas are given preference. Students have to clear a three-layered admission process including a written test, group discussion and interview.

Fees and Scholarship
In 2013, the tuition fee has been structured at Rs. 48000/- per annum, which is in line with many similar state-run educational institutions. The University extends some scholarships of varying range to help students cover their fees. The scholarships will cover part of the tuition and student accommodation related boarding and lodging expenses. In addition to scholarships, the University offers Loan Repayment Support for students who take up careers in the social sector or pursue higher education in related domains, and contribute through teaching, research or field engagement. This support would be provided to students in different forms such as interest waiver or subsidy, and part reimbursement of the loan. For the selected students, the University would work out the procedure for such support on a case to case basis during the admission process. The University helps in arrangement of concessional educational loans for students as well.

Faculty
The University has a faculty group of over 100 in Education and Development. More than 60% of the faculty have doctoral degrees in relevant domains. The University is maintains a student faculty ratio of 10:1.

Research and Partnerships
The University is engaged in research projects and has conducted more than thirty capacity enhancement programs in education perspectives, leadership and academics for government functionaries. The University has Memorandum of Understanding with national and state capacity development institutions such as Administrative Training Institute, Mysore and National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR) to develop capacity enhancement frameworks for Government functionaries in leadership positions. The University has also partnered with Michigan State University  and (INET) to train educational experts and, ultimately improve India’s vast, struggling school system as well as to create strategies for development that have proven successful in promoting equitable growth and reducing poverty.

Vibrant Academic Discourse
Since its inception, the University has conducted international seminars in the area of Philosophy of Education, and Law, Governance and Development. The first international seminar was held in January 2013. The second international seminar on Philosophy of Education is scheduled to be held in May 2014. The University has partnered with Institute of New Economic Thinking (INET) and has conducted summer and winter advanced graduate workshops on Development.