Universities Can Hold Their Own Entrance Exams to Fill Vacant Seats, Says UGC Chairman Prof M Jagadesh Kumar
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced that universities can conduct their own entrance exams for undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses if seats remain vacant after regular admission rounds. This decision aims to ensure that no seat is left unfilled in any programme.
UGC Chairman’s Statement
UGC Chairman Prof M Jagadesh Kumar stated, “Every seat is valuable in universities, and the UGC has provided standard operating procedures (SOP) to the universities in utilizing Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores for the admission process.”
He added, “This procedure includes multiple admissions rounds to fill seats. Central universities typically use the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores for admissions. If, after the first, second, and third rounds of admissions using CUET scores, some seats still remain vacant, the UGC has advised universities to relax the subject criteria to accommodate more students. In cases where seats are still not filled, universities are permitted to conduct their own entrance exams at the university level to fill these vacancies.”
CUET UG and PG 2024
The National Testing Agency (NTA) recently announced the results for the CUET-UG, paving the way to begin the undergraduate admission process, which has been delayed this year. The Common University Entrance Test for Undergraduates (CUET UG) 2024 was conducted between May 15 and May 24, 2024, with around 13.48 lakh registrations, making it one of India’s largest university entrance exams. CUET UG 2024 scores are being used for admissions across 47 central, 54 state, 37 deemed, 177 private, and six other universities.
CUET PG was conducted over 15 days in over 250 cities, including nine cities outside India, in March. A staggering 4,62,725 candidates had registered for CUET PG 2024. The Common University Entrance Test (CUET PG-2024) was introduced in 2022 for admission into various PG programmes in central and state universities and institutions and participating deemed or private institutions for the academic session 24-25.
Doubts Revealed
UGC -: UGC stands for University Grants Commission. It is an organization in India that looks after the standards of universities and colleges.
Prof M Jagadesh Kumar -: Prof M Jagadesh Kumar is the Chairman of the University Grants Commission. He is responsible for making important decisions about higher education in India.
entrance exams -: Entrance exams are tests that students take to get into universities or colleges. These exams help schools decide who gets admitted.
undergraduate -: Undergraduate courses are the first level of university education. In India, these are usually called bachelor’s degrees.
postgraduate -: Postgraduate courses are advanced levels of university education. These are usually called master’s degrees or PhDs.
Common University Entrance Test (CUET) -: CUET is a test that students take to get into multiple universities in India. It helps standardize the admission process.
CUET UG 2024 -: CUET UG 2024 refers to the Common University Entrance Test for undergraduate courses in the year 2024.
CUET PG 2024 -: CUET PG 2024 refers to the Common University Entrance Test for postgraduate courses in the year 2024.
registrations -: Registrations mean the number of students who signed up to take the entrance exams.