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Even high-scorers left high and dry as DU cut-offs soar
New Delhi: Sixteen-year-old Vandana, whose father works as a driver and mother a domestic help, was elated when she scored 91% in the class 12 Central Board of Secondary
New Delhi: Sixteen-year-old Vandana, whose father works as a driver and mother a domestic help, was elated when she scored 91% in the class 12 Central Board of Secondary Education exam this year. She wanted to enroll for the BA Programme in Hansraj College because of its “good reputation”. However, as per the cut-off released by Delhi University colleges on Saturday night, she is not eligible to apply in any of the five combinations offered by the college for the BA Programme.
A day after a majority of DU colleges released their cut-offs — mostly between 95% and 100% in popular courses — students like Vandana are worried about their prospects, with many considering applying to non-collegiate courses offered by the varsity through the School of Open Learning and Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board.
According to an analysis done by a north campus DU college, of the over 57,000 applicants for the courses available in their college, over 44,000, or 77%, scored below 95%. However, several colleges have announced cut-offs above and beyond that mark this year, due to the increase in the number of applicants and CBSE top-scorers — a move that effectively makes only around 23% students eligible for these courses as per the first cut-off list.
East Delhi resident Saloni Mishra, who scored a best-four subjects aggregate of 94% and wanted to pursue a BA (Honours) in English, said she was disappointed with the steep cut-offs.
“I had worked very hard and wanted to go to a north campus college, since it creates more opportunities in the long-run. The classrooms are more diverse, and I would get to interact with a variety of people. The commute is easier as well. But it was disappointing to see the cut-offs so high this year,” said Mishra, who graduated from a government school in Mayur Vihar Phase 1.
Though Mishra has prepared a list of south campus colleges where she will enrol to “secure a seat”, she said she will wait for subsequent lists, and hopes to get into a north campus college.
Of the 46 colleges offering BA (Honours) in English, Mishra is eligible to apply in only 19, while Vandana will only be able to apply in three colleges.
The situation is similar for popular courses across science, commerce, and humanities subjects. Applicants wanting to opt for BA (Honours) in journalism, for instance, need to have an aggregate in the range of 94-99.5% to be eligible for the course offered in seven DU colleges. For BCom (Honours) courses offered by 54 colleges, those who scored between 90-95% can apply to only eight DU colleges, of which three are all-girls institutions.
For BSc (Hons) in Mathematics, of the 41 colleges offering the course, students scoring between 90-95% can apply in only 12 colleges.
Students who scored below 90% in their class 12 board exams will not be eligible to apply in any DU college for several courses including BA (Honours) in English, BCom (Hons), or BSc Mathematics (Honours) under the unreserved category of the first cut-off list.
Cut-offs for people eligible for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Economically Weaker Sections, People with Disabilities, or Kashmiri Migrants quotas drop 2-10 percentage points between categories for various courses. Additionally, over 20 colleges also offer a one percentage point relaxation for women applicants.
Manoj Sinha, principal of Aryabhatta College and president of the Delhi University Principals’ Association, urged students not to get disheartened. “Those who have not gotten a chance in the first list should wait, because cutoffs are likely to drop further in the subsequent lists due to multiplicity of applications. By the fifth list, other high-scoring students can also secure admissions,” he said.
