Both Azim Premji University and Alliance University will set aside 25 per cent seats for domiciled students. Alliance University is also likely to implement caste-based reservation, a practice Azim Premji University has disregarded.

Anurag Behar, the newly appointed Vice Chancellor of Azim Premji University, is certain that the varsity would have only one category — domiciled students — for setting aside a certain number of seats.

But Madhukar G Angur, Chancellor of Alliance University, emphatically stated that his varsity was likely to fix a “certain” percentage of seats for
students from disadvantaged communities.

In reality, neither university is bound to reserve seats for SC, ST, and OBC candidates as the legislations concerned –– the Azim Premji University Act, 2010, and the Alliance University Act, 2010 –– do not stipulate this.

In the words of Angur, the proposal to introduce caste-based reservation is likely to be approved by the management shortly.

“We are doing it out of our commitment to social justice. It’s entirely a voluntary initiative,” he told Deccan Herald.

Behar, said his university would stick only to admission based on State domicile and would go by government’s rules in this regard.

Both universities would start admitting students from the academic year 2011-12. Azim Premji University will admit a total of 200 students in three courses –– MA in Education, MA in Development and Master’s in Teacher Education. Alliance University will have a total intake of 870 students in its schools of business and engineering and design.

While 450 students will be admitted to its flagship MBA programme, the varsity’s Executive MBA, BTech in Computer Science, Information Technology and Electrical Engineering programmes will have 60 students each. Its PhD and Executive Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) programmes will have 30 students each.

Both universities will also differ in scholarships. Azim Premji University will offer three types of financial assistance –– a complete waiver of the tuition fee, loan assistance and assistantship.

Alliance University will provide merit-based scholarships of up to 25 per cent of the tuition fee.

Azim Premji University will select students through an admission test to be held at 38 centres across India, including six in Karnataka in Bangalore, Mangalore, Dharwad, Hassan, Gulbarga and Bellary, on May 29 this year.

Alliance University will admit students based on their performance in nationwide entrance tests like GRE and GMAT.