CUET results: UGC permits central universities to hold exams for admission, says ‘vacant seats a waste of resources’

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Thursday, August 1, granted central universities permission to conduct their own entrance exams or admit students on the basis of marks in the qualifying exam if seats remain vacant in undergraduate and postgraduate courses after admissions through Common University Entrance Test (CUET).

However, the CUET scores will remain the primary criteria for the admission process, the UGC said. The commission emphasised that students who appeared in CUET may be considered irrespective of the domain subject papers in which they appeared.

The higher education standard maintaining commission gave two reasons highlighting the need to fill vacant seats.

• Seats remain vacant in some central universities even after three or four rounds of counselling. It alleged that keeping vacant seats for an entire academic year is a waste of resources.
• Vacant seats in higher education institutions lead to the denial of quality higher education for many students aspiring to pursue advanced studies in central universities.

“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,” UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar told PTI.

"Hence, in order to facilitate the central universities to fill up their vacant seats, the SOPs have been formulated. Students who appeared in CUET but may or may not have applied to the respective university for the courses or programmes earlier may also be considered," Kumar was quoted as saying in the report.

The university may also admit students on the basis of marks obtained in the qualifying examination, the UGC chairman said. The higher education authority further pointed out that the entire admission process has to be based on merit and transparency. Meanwhile, the reservation roster should apply for admission to courses/programmes in all cases.

(With PTI inputs)