Bangalore, India -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/02/2007 --The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) will now be known as Manipal University. The 54-year-old Academy reached this decision in December 2006 and the change will affect all MAHE campuses globally. From the coming academic year Manipal University will also introduce online entrance tests for admissions to their professional courses.

Speaking about the name change from MAHE to Manipal University, Dr. H.S. Ballal, Pro-Chancellor, Manipal University said “In 1993 MAHE was granted the privileged status of a university by the Indian government. The word ‘Academy’ does not indicate the status of a university and this has led to some confusion in the minds of people of foreign countries. Deemed Universities were not hitherto permitted by the University Grants Commission which controls the Deemed Universities, to prefix or affix the word ‘university’ to their name. Taking note of this fact and based on our request, the UGC has, by its Notification No.F.6-1(II)/2006 (CPP-I) dated 13th September 2006, permitted Deemed to be Universities to use the word ‘university’ in their name provided it is indicated along with the name that the universities are established under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 to distinguish the Deemed to be Universities from universities established by the legislature. The Manipal Academy of Higher Education has, in pursuance of the UGC Notification and approval by its Trust and Board of Management, changed its name to MANIPAL UNIVERSITY by a Notification dated 20th December 2006. We believe that this new identity will help us attract more students especially from foreign lands”.

Manipal University has always set itself apart from other universities by using technology in all aspects and by being a student friendly digital campus. In the last academic year, Manipal University had conducted online exams for admissions to postgraduate medical and dental courses. Online entrance examinations will now be conducted for admission to courses such as MBBS, BDS, BE, BPharm, BSc Nursing, BHM and BA in Journalism. To conduct these exams, Manipal University has adopted the latest technologies and is giving its prospective students an added advantage of taking the exams online. This is a testimony to the fact that Manipal University is one among the best forward looking universities in India.

Speaking on the online entrance exams for admissions to MBBS, BDS, BE and other professional graduate programs, Mr. Anand Sudarshan, Group President Manipal Universal Learning, said “This move of introducing online tests 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. This will mean that, invariably the student takes up only one entrance exam and this reduces his prospect of having more choices. We at Manipal University will now allow candidates to schedule tests at their own convenience and allow them the flexibility. Those writing other tests will not have any difficulty, since the online test will be held over a period of time and not on a single day. Unlike other entrance examinations, the students can choose the test schedule that suits their individual requirements. This gives the student the freedom to choose the location, date & time of his choice of giving the Online Entrance Test”.

The online tests will be conducted at 19 centres which have been ergonomically designed with the latest computers for every student, high security communication network for electronic delivery of the test and use of bio-metric and hi-tech monitoring systems to prevent impersonation and foul play. Each computer is fitted with a web camera, which will take an image of the candidate every 20 minutes.

About Manipal University:
Manipal University was recognized as a University by the Government of India in 1993. Among the foremost colleges and Institutions in India, the Manipal University colleges are highly regarded in their sphere of expertise, be it MIT (Manipal Institute of Technology) for engineering, or KMC (Kasturba Medical College) for medicine. Manipal University today ranks as one of India's premier multi-dimensional educational institutions.

Students from over 51 countries worldwide come seeking education in this culturally diverse campus of Manipal. The township of Manipal comprises of two universities, 24, professional colleges, affiliated institutes and numerous primary and high schools. Thousands of students study in Manipal institutions situated in Sikkim, Mangalore, Nepal, Malaysia and Dubai.Degrees from Manipal are recognized worldwide, making it a Mecca of educational services.

Please refer web site http://www.manipal.edu/index.htm for more information.