DHAKA, Bangladesh - Student protesters demanding that their studies should not interfere with their enjoyment of World Cup soccer games managed Sunday to sway authorities at a top Bangladeshi university to suspend classes and examinations during the monthlong event.

Authorities at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology made a decision Sunday to postpone classes and exams until July 14, the university said in a statement.

Students have been protesting since Thursday, urging authorities to reschedule their classes and end of term exams until after the World Cup. Final examinations were scheduled to be held from June 3 to 29.

The protesters locked campus gates, staged sit-ins, held marches shouting slogans and laid siege to the vice-chancellor's office.

"We will be watching the games at night, and will be too tired and excited to study properly for the exams," Tareq Hasan, a protesting student said over telephone.

Many matches from the June 9-July 9 tournament in Germany will be telecast live in Bangladesh late into the night, because of a five-hour time difference.

Low-ranking Bangladesh has never made it to the World Cup finals, but interest in the four-yearly games is high across the soccer-crazy nation of 144 million people.

Fans gearing up for the World Cup finals have already started displaying flags of their favorite teams atop houses and buildings - with Argentina, Brazil, Germany, France and Italy among the most popular. Many are also taking advantage of special prices offered by several electronics companies to buy new television sets.