South Asian University (SAU) in New Delhi employs merit-based cut-offs primarily derived from its own SAU Entrance Test (SAUET), supplemented by national exams like CUET UG/PG for select programs, with no publicly published percentile or rank-wise cut-offs due to small batch sizes and SAARC quotas. Admission hinges on minimum qualifying scores of 50-65% in qualifying exams plus entrance performance, varying by program, category (Indian vs. other SAARC), and year, with trends showing stable thresholds amid rising applicant pools. Previous years indicate shortlisting at 40-50th percentile equivalents on SAUET, prioritizing top 10-25 admits per department.
Admission requires online application via admissions.sau.ac.in, followed by SAUET for most MA/MSc/LLM/PhD programs, or CUET/JEE scores for UG/BTech; 50% seats reserve for Indians, balance by SAARC country quotas (e.g., 10% each for Nepal, Bhutan).
Eligibility mandates 50% aggregate in bachelor's for MA/LLM (55% for MSc), 60% master's for PhD, and 65% in 10+2 for BTech/Integrated BBA-MBA, with final-year candidates eligible provisionally.
Shortlisting combines 70-80% entrance weightage with academics/interview (PhD only, needing 50% in each), culminating in merit lists and document verification; no management quota exists, ensuring transparency.
Previous Year Cut-Off Trends
Program
Exam
2024 Qualifying % (General)
2025 Est. Percentile
Category Relaxation
BTech
SAUET/CUET UG/JEE Main
65% in 10+2
50-60th
5-10% for SC/ST/OBC/SAARC
Integrated BBA-MBA
SAUET
Top 20 selects
SAARC quota priority
MA/MSc (Economics/IR/etc.)
SAUET/CUET PG
50-55% bachelor's
45-55th
5% for reserved
LLM
50% in LLB
Top 15-20
SAARC non-Indian edge
PhD
SAUET + Interview
60% master's; 50% each stage
Research aptitude focus
-
Exam-Wise and Category-Wise Trends
Factors Influencing Cut-Offs
Lovely Professional University (LPU)
Jalandhar, Punjab
Type: Private University
IBS Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Telangana
Type: Private
Chandigarh University
Mohali, Punjab
Chandigarh University, Lucknow
Unnao, Uttar Pradesh
RV University
Bangalore, Karnataka
Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE)
ICFAI University (IFHE)
Type: Deemed to be University
KL University
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
GITAM Deemed to be University
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad Business School, GITAM University
Medak, Telangana
MIT WPU
Pune, Maharashtra
KLH Hyderabad
MIT VPU
Solapur, Maharashtra
Universal AI University
Raigad, Maharashtra
Maharishi Markandeshwar University
Ambala, Haryana
DOMS - Nalsar University
Type: Public
DIT University
Dehradun, Uttarakhand
MBU Tirupati
Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh
SRM University, AP
MNR University
Medchal, Telangana
VIT-AP University
VIT Vellore
Vellore, Tamil Nadu
SRM University - SRMIST Chennai
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka
Woxsen University
Christ University
Reva University
Sathyabama University, Chennai