305K students race for 71K DU seats; SRCC top choice

As per university data, a total of 305,357 students registered on the CSAS portal, and 239,890 of them submitted their college and programme preferences

With over 305,000 students registering for just 71,642 undergraduate seats, the race for admission to Delhi University (DU) intensified on Tuesday as the university opened its preference change window for the 2025-26 academic session under the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS). The window, which follows the release of simulated ranks, will remain open until 11.59pm on Wednesday.

This year, the University of Delhi has received the highest number of candidates aspiring for admission to 71,642 seats across 79 programmes in 69 colleges and various departments. (HT Archive)

According to data released by the university, Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) has emerged as the top college preference among applicants this year, featuring as the first choice in 38,795 submissions. It is followed by Hindu College, Hansraj College, St. Stephen’s College and Miranda House.

The simulated ranks give students a tentative idea of their likely course and college allotments based on CUET scores and existing preferences, allowing them to revise their choices ahead of the first allocation list, which will be released on Saturday, July 19.

Out of the 305,357 students who registered on the CSAS portal, 239,890 submitted their college and programme preferences. Of these, 127,284 (53.06%) are female, 112,603 (46.93%) male, and three identify as transgender. Additionally, 221 female and 291 male applicants have applied under the orphan quota, while 7,243 students have opted for the single girl child quota.

Altogether, DU received more than 16.8 million unique programme-college preference combinations across 1,549 available options. One student submitted the maximum permissible 1,414 preferences, while the average stands at 83 per applicant.

Among academic programmes, BCom (Hons) is the most sought after, chosen as the top preference by 48,336 students. It is followed by BA (Hons) Political Science, BSc (Hons) Zoology, BTech (Hons) Mathematics and Humanities, and the BCom Programme.

In terms of streams, humanities remain the most popular, with 58.89% of applicants opting for humanities-based courses, 20.89% for commerce, and 20.22% for science.

Meanwhile, trials for admission under the Extra-Curricular Activities (ECA) quota are set to begin on Friday, while sports quota trials will start on July 25. Following the release of the first allocation list on July 19, the university will publish the list of vacant seats on July 24. Students can reorder their higher preferences between July 24 and 25, and the second list will be released on July 28.

“We’ve kept a compact schedule this year because we want all batches to begin classes on August 1,” said Anand Sonkar, deputy dean of admissions. “Teachers have also been asked to process admission forms over the weekends to stay on track.”

Sonkar urged students to keep checking the websites of the university, colleges and departments for timely updates on the admission process.

For many applicants, the days ahead are charged with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.

Sneha Saini, a student from Model Town, said, “I’ve listed English (Hons) at Miranda House as my first preference. My CUET percentiles are good, but competition is intense. Studying at DU, especially on the North Campus, has always been a dream.”

Mukul Chakraborty from Kolkata, who hopes to study political science at Hindu College, said, “I worked really hard, but my CUET results weren’t as good as I expected. I’m anxious about where I’ll finally get in. I’ve also listed Ramjas College as a top preference.”