New eligibility criteria stumps B Arch aspirants, many call for extension of old rule

B Arch aspirants were allowed to register using either their JEE-Mains or NATA scores. This year, CoA said JEE scores will only be acceptable for admissions to IITs, NITs and central universities, while all other institutes will accept NATA score only

A day after the Maharashtra common entrance test (MH-CET) cell released the information brochure for admissions to various undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) professional courses, students aiming for Bachelor of Architecture (B Arch) seats are hoping for a miracle. Unaware of the changes made to the eligibility criteria for admissions to the course, many fear they will lose out on seats in top architecture colleges in the state.

Many candidates have approached the state Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), seeking a year’s extension to the old eligibility criteria—allowing students to apply for admissions with their JEE score as well. Any change to the rule will have to be approved by CoA, said a senior DTE official. (HT FILE)

Until academic year 2020-21, B Arch aspirants were allowed to register using either their Joint Entrance Examination (JEE-Mains) or the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) scores. This year, however, a notification from the Council of Architecture (CoA) stated that JEE scores will only be acceptable for admissions to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and central universities, while all other institutes will accept NATA score only.

As a result, for the past few days, many candidates have approached the state Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), seeking a year’s extension to the old eligibility criteria—allowing students to apply for admissions with their JEE score as well.

“We have been directed by CoA to accept only NATA scores. Any change to the rule will therefore have to be approved by the same authority,” said a senior DTE official on the condition of anonymity.

The parent of a B Arch student said, “While the information brochure shared by the admissions authority mentions that NATA score will be accepted, there’s no mention of the fact that scores of another equivalent exam like JEE will not be accepted this year onwards. What’s worse is that the information brochure was released two days ago, while students appeared for the entrance exams in February, March and April, mostly unaware of the fact that JEE scores will not be accepted during admission.”

This year, JEE and NATA exams were held in multiple sessions, mainly to give students the option of choosing the best score out of the multiple sessions and at the same time, also giving them the option of a back session in case they missed the previous session due to Covid-related issues.

“My daughter appeared for the first two sessions of NATA as well as two sessions of JEE. While she has scored 98 percentile in JEE, her NATA score is low. Until now, she was not worried because we were under the impression that JEE score will be applicable. Because of the change in the eligibility criteria, my daughter will lose a seat in a college of her choice,” said the father of another aspirant.

Two weeks ago, the Madras high court (HC) gave interim relief two candidates who requested that they be allowed to participate in the counselling round for B Arch course at Anna University based on their JEE score for academic year 2021-22. Madras HC eventually directed the university to accept registrations from both candidates but clarified that the outcome, however, will be subject to the outcome of the students’ plea challenging the admission rule.

MU to hold convocation on December 10

After a break of one year, the University of Mumbai (MU) will host its annual convocation ceremony in the famed Convocation Hall at the Fort campus on December 10. Due to rising Covid-19 cases, the 2020 convocation ceremony was held virtually on February 1, 2021.

“Degree/diploma certificates of students who have passed their examinations in the first and second half of 2021, before the day of the upcoming convocation, will be sent to the respective colleges. A list of available degree/diploma certificates with convocation numbers of the candidates will be made available on the varsity website soon,” said Vinod Patil, director, board of examination and evaluation, MU. Nearly two lakh students will be graduating this year, he added.

After delaying their convocation ceremony in 2020, MU held the ceremony online in February where nearly 1.91 lakh students graduated and received certificates. This year, the varsity has clarified in advance that students should not gather at the ceremony looking for their certificates to maintain Covid-19 protocols.

“In case of non-receipt of certificates or any error in the degree, a written complaint should be submitted in the examination department within one month of the convocation. We request students to not enquire or gather on convocation day as the certificates will be sent to their respective colleges,” added Patil.