Question 1

Is Manipal Academy of Higher Education a public or a private university?

Accepted Answer

MAHE is a private, self-financing institution. It began in 1953 with a self-financing medical college set up as a public-private collaboration, was declared a Deemed to be University by the Government of India in June 1993, and was notified as an Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University by the UGC on 14 October 2020. It is not a state or central government university, and its fees are not government-subsidised outside specific scholarship and government-nominated routes.

Question 2

Who can apply under the Foreign/NRI category, and is there an entrance examination?

Accepted Answer

The Foreign/NRI category is open to foreign nationals, candidates with NRI status, candidates sponsored by an NRI relative, OCI card holders and PIO card holders, and covers 15 per cent of seats. MAHE states that Foreign/NRI admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are made on a first-come, merit basis from the 10+2 or bachelor's degree result, with no entrance examination. The named exceptions are MBBS, BDS, MD, MS, MDS, DM and MCh, which run through NEET and central or state counselling, and B.Arch, which requires NATA or JEE Main Paper II. The MBA at TAPMI separately requires GMAT for foreign national and PIO applicants.

Question 3

Does MAHE accept GCE A Levels and the International Baccalaureate?

Accepted Answer

Yes. MAHE publishes A Level and IB entry routes programme by programme in its 2026 eligibility document. Typically, undergraduate applicants need the required subjects at A Level plus English at AS Level or five passes at IGCSE, GCSE or GCE O Level including English, with an average grade of D in the required subjects. IB applicants need a Diploma or Certificate with three subjects at Higher Level and three at Standard Level, at least 3 points in any counted subject and 24 points overall. Candidates holding other foreign qualifications must submit an equivalence certificate from the Association of Indian Universities.

Question 4

Is an English language test such as IELTS or TOEFL required?

Accepted Answer

MAHE does not publish a blanket IELTS or TOEFL requirement for undergraduate entry. Its published A Level and IB routes instead require English inside the qualifying examination - English at AS Level, or five passes at IGCSE, GCSE or GCE O Level including English, or English within the IB subject set. The exception in this set of programmes is the MBA at TAPMI, where foreign national and PIO applicants may be asked for an IELTS score of 5.0 alongside a compulsory GMAT score.

Question 5

What does a B.Tech in Computer Science cost in total for an international applicant?

Accepted Answer

For the 2026-27 Foreign/NRI schedule, B.Tech in Computer Science & Engineering at MIT Manipal is USD 9,450 tuition plus USD 5,700 other fees per year across four annual instalments, giving a published programme total of USD 60,800 including a USD 200 refundable caution deposit. Accommodation is billed separately: USD 1,450 a year for a deluxe air-conditioned double room at the MIT campus plus a USD 200 refundable deposit and a USD 140 air-conditioning advance, and an annual meal arrangements advance of INR 62,000. A 20 per cent international merit scholarship, where awarded, applies to the programme fee only.

Question 6

How does an international applicant actually apply?

Accepted Answer

Applications are made online through MAHE's admissions portal at apply.manipal.edu, choosing the international category. The applicant uploads eligibility documents, including proof of foreign national, OCI, PIO, NRI or NRI-sponsored status, receives a provisional admission offer, pays the first-year fee, then receives a provisional admission order and submits final results before the admission order is issued. MAHE states that all admissions are through its own admissions department and that it uses no agents, middlemen or consultants. Queries on foreign qualifications go to intladm@manipal.edu.

Question 7

Do international students need a No Objection Certificate from the Government of India?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the discipline. MAHE states that foreign students admitted to health science courses such as medicine, dentistry and nursing require a No Objection Certificate from the Government of India, and that its International Admissions Office applies for that certificate on their behalf after they register and classes start. Under a 2004 resolution of the then Ministry of Human Resource Development, no such certificate is needed for engineering and technology, architecture and town planning, pharmacy, applied arts, MBA, MCA or hotel management programmes.

Question 8

What visa is required, and what has to be done after arriving in India?

Accepted Answer

MAHE states that international students may be on campus only on a Student Visa and that students on a tourist visa cannot be admitted to any programme. The confirmed admission letter issued after the first-year fee is paid is what the applicant takes to an Indian embassy or consulate for the visa. After arrival, students at the Manipal, Mangalore, Bangalore and Jamshedpur campuses must register online through the e-FRRO portal within 14 days. The Residential Permit is issued for a maximum of one year or until the visa expires, whichever is earlier, and must be renewed at least a month before it lapses.

Question 9

Are OCI and PIO card holders treated as international applicants?

Accepted Answer

Only in part, and the date on the card decides it. Following the Supreme Court decision of 3 February 2023 in Writ Petition (Civil) 891 of 2021, OCI and PIO candidates who secured the card before 4 March 2021 are considered Indian nationals for MAHE admission purposes and apply in the general category. Candidates who obtained an OCI or PIO card after that date are considered under the Foreign category only. Proof required includes the OCI or PIO card and a copy of a parent's passport.

Question 10

What scholarships are available to international students?

Accepted Answer

MAHE awards a Scholar-category scholarship to students admitted under the International Students category to eligible undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, giving a 20 per cent waiver on the programme fee for the full course duration. It does not apply to B.Sc. Nursing, MBBS, BDS, MD, MS, MDS, DM, MCh or PhD programmes, and it does not cover campus logistics, daily living or book costs. Students admitted through Study in India, COMPEX or Indian Council for Cultural Relations schemes already receive a subsidised fee structure and are not eligible for this scholarship. Continuation each year depends on clearing all subjects in the previous year's university examinations.

Question 11

When are the intakes and application deadlines?

Accepted Answer

MAHE runs a single main annual intake with teaching starting in July for most Manipal undergraduate programmes. In the 2026 cycle, the last date to apply was 30 April for B.Tech programmes at MIT Manipal, with orientation on 14 and 15 July for computer science streams and 16 and 17 July for other streams and classes from 20 July; 15 July for Manipal College of Health Professions bachelor's programmes, with classes from 21 July; and 31 July for Manipal Institute of Communication programmes. The TAPMI MBA runs on its own calendar, with Term I of the 2026-28 batch listed as commencing in June or July 2026.

Question 12

What accommodation is available and what does it cost?

Accepted Answer

MAHE runs separate campus logistics systems by campus. At the MIT Manipal campus, Foreign/NRI students apply for a room by emailing the Chief Warden's office and are told their allotment about 15 days before classes begin, paying by wire transfer. Published 2026 Foreign/NRI rates are USD 1,450 a year for a deluxe air-conditioned double with attached bath, USD 1,590 for an air-conditioned double in the girls' campus logistics and USD 2,030 for a single air-conditioned room, plus a USD 200 refundable deposit and an air-conditioning electricity advance. meal arrangements membership is compulsory for first-year undergraduates and is charged as an INR 62,000 annual advance.

Question 13

What do the NAAC A++ grade and Institution of Eminence status actually mean?

Accepted Answer

NAAC is the accreditation body of the University Grants Commission; its register records MAHE at A++ with a CGPA of 3.65 in Cycle 3, declared May 2022. That is an institution-wide assessment, not a statement about one programme. Institution of Eminence is a UGC designation notified on 14 October 2020, carrying greater academic autonomy. Programme-level engineering accreditation is separate: the National Board of Accreditation places MIT Manipal's B.Tech programmes in Tier I under the Washington Accord to 30 June 2028. None of these decide whether the degree is recognised for practice or further study in an applicant's home country, which that country's own regulator sets.

Manipal Academy of Higher Education: Programs & Courses

Programs at this university