CUET Scores Will Remain the Primary Criteria for Admitting Students

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has granted central universities the authority to conduct their own entrance exams or admit students on the “basis of marks in the qualifying examination” if seats in undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses remain vacant after admission through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET).

In order to help central universities fill open positions, the UGC published a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on Thursday. The notice stated, “Keeping 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.”

M Jagadesh Kumar, UGC chairman, stated, “We should not leave any seats empty. Each seat in our universities is significant. Universities must make every effort to guarantee that students are admitted to your university so that no seats remain vacant.”

He stated that CUET scores will continue to be the “primary criteria” for admission and that all central universities have already received a letter from UGC requesting admission of students based on CUET.

“The UGC has learned that, despite three or more rounds of counseling, some seats in several Central Universities are still unfilled”. The notification went on to say, “To keep the seats vacant for an entire academic year is not only a waste of resources but also results in many students who aspire to pursue higher education in central universities being denied quality higher education.”

While CUET scores will continue to be the key admissions factor, colleges may choose to loosen subject-specific requirements if there are still open seats after taking CUET candidates into account. Universities may hold their own entrance examinations or “the concerned department of the university may conduct a screening test” if openings continue. A qualifying exam may also be used by the university for admission.

The decision further states that “students who appeared in CUET but may or may not have applied to the respective university for the courses/programmes earlier may also be considered.”

According to the Commission, “the reservation roster shall apply for admission to courses/programmes in all cases” and the “entire admission process has to be based on merit and transparency.”

“Timely completion of the entire admission process so that no student faces any kind of academic loss” is a requirement for universities to uphold.

In June, this UGC also announced bi-annual admissions, requesting that the universities hold two rounds of applications each year. In 2024–2025, the two admission cycles will be July–August and January–February.