The number of applications for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), Advanced has increased by 20% to 30% from last year’s figure, and the organising institute, the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, has no plans to reopen the application window. The last date for registration was May 7.
The organising chairman of the examination, Bishnupada Mandal, told The Hindu that nearly 2.5 lakh candidates qualified for the JEE (Advanced) after the JEE (Main), and 1.95 lakh of them had registered for the examination. There are more than 100 foreign candidates and nearly 800 belong to the overseas Indian and people of Indian origin categories, Professor Mandal said.
He said that usually, the number of applicants varied between 1.5 lakh and 1.6 lakh. “The highest number of applicants in the past was 1.7 lakh. But this year, we have an increase of about 20% to 30%,” he said. There is a steady increase in the number of students every year. “This time, there is no COVID. Previous years, there was a little drop due to COVID,” he said.
Asked about the requests from sections of students that the last date to submit applications be extended, Professor Mandal said the institute had given a longer period for registration this year. In the previous years, dates were extended considering such complaints.
“Usually, the applications are received in four or five days. This year, we had eight days for registration and one day for payment of fees. Dates were quite longer, and a good number of candidates registered, and we do not have any scope to extend the date now,” he said.
He said a few students had written to the organising institute seeking an extension. “It is usual. Every year, some students who miss the deadline write to us. But we follow a strict deadline,” he said.
