The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced that central universities are now permitted to either conduct their own entrance exams or admit students based on their marks in the qualifying exams if seats remain unfilled in undergraduate and postgraduate programs after the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) admissions.
The UGC’s decision follows observations that some central universities still have vacant seats despite multiple rounds of counselling through CUET.
UGC Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar stated, “The UGC has observed that some central universities still have vacant seats even after three or four rounds of counselling.”
“To keep the seats vacant for an entire academic year is not only a waste of resources but also results in denial of quality higher education to many students who aspire to pursue higher studies in central universities,” he added.
FLEXIBLE ADMISSION CRITERIA
To address this issue, the UGC has formulated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to help universities fill these vacant seats.
Students who appeared in CUET, whether they applied to the respective university earlier or not, may also be considered for admission. Additionally, universities may relax the domain subject-specific criteria for admission to certain courses.
“If seats remain vacant even after exhausting the list of applicants who appeared in CUET, the university may consider conducting an entrance examination at its own level or the concerned department may conduct a screening test. The university may also admit students on the basis of marks obtained in the qualifying examination. The entire admission process has to be based on merit and transparency,” added Kumar.