The Hindu Business Line : Manipal Academy changes name

(FROM LEFT) Dr Ramdas M. Pai, Chancellor, Manipal University, Dr Ranjan Pai, CEO, and Dr H.S. Ballal, Pro-Chancellor, at a press conference in Bangalore on Tuesday. — G.R.N. Somashekar

Bangalore , Jan. 16

Starting this academic year, Manipal University (formerly known as Manipal Academy of Higher Education) will introduce an online system for entrance tests for its professional courses. The online tests held over a period of 38 days in 19 centres across the country will enable students to select the time and date of the entrance exams to suit their schedules. "This move has been made keeping in mind students who often have to face the probability of taking two or more entrance exams on the same day," said Mr Anand Sudarshan, Group President, Manipal Universal Learning. Online tests will offer students the flexibility to choose the location, date and time of the online entrance test. It will also do away with the offline (pen and pencil) method for all its entrance tests.

Manipal University's online test centres, set up with an investment of around Rs 25 crore, have been tested last academic year when the University conducted the entrance exams for its PG medical and dental courses. During the year, the centres have also been used by corporates (including ICICI Bank) for their pre-recruitment tests. "Currently, we have six corporates using these facilities for their recruitment process. We are in talks with 15 others and some universities to let them use the same," Mr Sudarshan said.

Name change

The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) will henceforth be known as Manipal University. Based on a request by MAHE, the University Grants Commission has allowed `Deemed to be universities' to either prefix or suffix their names with the word University. Announcing this today, Dr H.S. Ballal, Pro-Chancellor, Manipal University, explained the reason for the change: "The word `Academy' does not indicate the status of a university thus leading to a confusion among people from other countries." The new identity, he believed, would help them attract more students from outside the country. Manipal University currently has about 2,300 overseas students from 51 countries.