Delhi University has announced that the process for Undergraduate (UG) admissions will begin earlier this year with the online portal going live by the first week of April.
In the first meeting of the Admissions Committee 2018-19 held on Monday, it was decided to set up a committee to study ways to streamline the admission process by finding methods to shorten its duration. As an immediate measure, this year, workshops and advisory session will be conducted for principals of individual colleges so they do not release unrealistic cut-offs.
Head of the Admissions Committee M.K. Pandit said, “We have found that the admission process goes on for long as some colleges release unrealistic cut-offs in the first few lists and the bulk of their admission happens only when cut-offs are lowered. By showing colleges admission-related data, we will advise them to set realistic cut-offs keeping with past trends so that they can admit bulk of students in the first or second list itself. This will avoid the long wait for multiple lists.”
Look into reforms
The committee will also look into reforms that can be introduced in the long term such as the possibility of computer-based online admission test for UG admissions as well as forming a policy on online counselling and admission to cut down the long-drawn procedure and fill college seats quickly.
In this method, the portal will study the data entered by the student and will automatically assign colleges that the applicant has qualified for.
Mr. Pandit also said that the admission committee will be contacting various individual boards to determine what their policy is on “moderation of marks” so that every student applying to the University will be on a level playing field.
PG admissions
The Admission Committee unanimously reaffirmed the decision taken last year about conducting computer-based online tests for all postgraduate courses. The rule introduced last year had to be changed last minute due to resistance from student groups and other sections.
The university has also formed a committee to formulate policy on deciding merit-based PG admissions. As of now, 50% of PG seats are reserved for DU students on the basis of their grades. The online test is only for those applicants from outside the university. The committee will be reviewing this policy, the university said.
Mr. Pandit said that last year, they introduced a system of feedback from all stakeholders and these committees are being formed to remove the glitches in the admission process as pointed out in the feedback forms. Other steps will include roping in of more volunteers to guide students and deal with grievances.
