After going through the exacting and exhausting trial that is the Class XII exam, students who emerge victorious have to face the toughest question of their lives — what next?
Choosing a university is a herculean task and forces students to analyse their interests, priorities and responsibilities.
For those who have decided to pursue a career in medicine or engineering, the choices are usually clear cut.
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But the undecided grapple with a sea of options.
Delhi has three Central universities: Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University, and two state-run varsities: Ambedkar University and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.
There are also several private universities in the National Capital Region.
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For a long time, students aimed only for DU, but that trend is changing.
Many are looking for more than just the “Delhi University experience”.
Students are no longer waiting for DU to release its cut-offs and despite getting high marks in Class XII are choosing professional courses and multi-disciplinary programmes over a graduation degree from the university.
While some attribute this trend to the fact that getting admission in the biggest university in Delhi-NCR is tough, some argue that the criteria used by the varsity to judge students is unfair.
Ankita Nanda, who studies at Ashoka University, a private varsity, said: “I got 94 per cent marks in Class XII, but I still chose not to go to DU. It was not a priority for me because I felt that the admission system for DU colleges was not accounting for the kind of student that I was. All they would see was the percentage of marks that I had received. I was looking for an institute that would have a more holistic approach in deciding the kind of students they took.”
Pricey option
Private varsities like Ashoka University, Shiv Nadar University, Sharda University and Amity University have been attracting a large number of students from the Delhi and NCR region owing to the multi-disciplinary approach of their programmes and their entrance procedures.
The other reason behind their growing popularity is that these universities don’t judge the students solely on the basis of their Class XII results, but also take tests and interviews for admission.
Even though the fee for private universities run into lakhs per annum, they do offer several scholarships to soften the blow.
In Ashoka University, a student has to shell out more than Rs. 5 lakh annually just for the tuition fee.
The university, however, also offers up to 100 per cent scholarships to those who need it most.
“While selection to Ashoka is based on student merit, including academic and extracurricular achievement, scholarships are entirely based upon need. A student who has earned admission to the university will not be turned away if they are not able to pay tuition,” reads the university’s official website.
Vice-Chancellor of Shiv Nadar University, Dr. Rupamanjari Ghosh, told The Hindu : “Being managed by the Shiv Nadar Foundation, we are lucky enough to offer scholarships to students. Almost 90 per cent of the students here are on scholarships. Here, we focus only on academic excellence. If a student has the will and talent to learn, we provide the correct platform”.
Besides the private universities in the NCR, there are also several government universities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
The Central University of Haryana — located in Mahendergarh, a three-hour drive from Delhi, offers courses in various disciplines from Humanities to Science and Commerce.
The campus also offers hostel facilities for outstation students.
Another government university is Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida.
It offers courses from Engineering, Management, Humanities and Commerce to Mass Communication. Institutes like Jaypee Institute of Information Technology and Noida International University also offer a wide range of options to students.
Infrastructure, exposure and study abroad programmes are gaining importance for admission seekers