South Asian University (SAU) is an International University sponsored by the eight Member States of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The eight countries are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. South Asian University started admitting students in 2010, at a temporary campus at Akbar Bhawan, India. Its permanent campus will be at Maidan Garhi in South Delhi, India, next to Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). First academic session of the university started in August 2010 with two post-graduate academic programmes, in economics and computer sciences. As of 2014, SAU offered Master's and MPhil/PhD programs in applied mathematics, biotechnology, computer science, development economics, international relations, law and sociology. The degrees of the university are recognised by all the member nations of the SAARC according to an inter-governmental agreement signed by the foreign ministers of the eight SAARC member states. South Asian University attracts students predominantly from all the eight SAARC countries, although students from other continents also attend. There is a country quota system for admission of students. Every year SAU conducts admission test at multiple centers in all the eight countries.At the Thirteenth SAARC Summit held in Dhaka, in November 2005, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh proposed the establishment of a South Asian University to provide world-class facilities and professional faculty to students and researchers from SAARC member countries.The mandate of the South Asian University, as set out in the Agreement of the SAARC member states under which the University is set up envisages that the choice of the programs of studies to be offered at this University should: enhance learning in the South Asian community that promotes an understanding of one another's perspectives and strengthen regional consciousness; provide liberal and humane education to the brightest and the most dedicated students of South Asia so that a new class of quality leadership is nurtured; and enhance capacity building of the South Asian Nations in science, technology and other areas of higher learning vital for improving their quality of life such as information technology, biotechnology and management sciences, etcEvery year the students of South Asian University in general and those from India and Pakistan in particular organize celebrations of the Independence Days of India and Pakistan together. Pakistan's Independence Day falls on 14 August, and India's on 15 August; celebrations are held on the night of 14 August.