Soaring cut-offs? No reason to worry

Experts say there is no reason to worry since DU cut-off marks rise every year and it has very little to do with the percentage that students score or the number of seats that colleges provide. Swaha Sahoo reports. Spl: Campus calling

Wondering whether you have enough marks in your kitty to ride out the surging cut-off marks at Delhi University? Experts say there is no reason to worry since DU cut-off marks rise every year and it has very little to do with the percentage that students score or the number of seats that colleges provide.

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Last year cut-off marks for several colleges — both elite and those not exactly considered A grade — shot up. But it turned out that there were no takers and most of the seats went empty in the first and even second round. Even reputed colleges had to resort to a second cut-off list.

"The common admission form means everybody applies everywhere — regardless of the marks they score. This, in turn can inflate the cut-off marks for colleges setting in panic among students," said Rajendra Prasad, principal of Ramjas College.

Dean Student’ Welfare SK Vij felt that cut-offs are not entirely unpredictable. "Colleges usually look at the number of students and the number of seats they offer before arriving at cut-off marks for a course," said Vij.

"So the first cut-off this year will not be very different than last year. Students should apply after keeping a margin of plus minus three per cent," Vij said.

He added that if the cut off of a course in a particular college was 88, then everybody who reaches that score has to be admitted. "However, in practice, everybody applies in the maximum number of colleges because the common form makes the process really easy. The toppers apply in colleges they may not join finally, but this actually cranks up the cut-off marks. A lot of colleges also decide their cut-off based on past experience," said Vij.

Most colleges decide the cut-off marks through guess work, based on their record of admission and percentage band of students who chose their college in the past. Moreover, cut-offs have become a prestige issue with colleges, said Vij.

"Colleges definitely compete with each other. They think that higher the cut-off the better their college is. But the truth is that last year many prestigious colleges had to go in for a second list," Vij said.

So keep a close watch on the available seats in every college. To be on the safe side, you can take admission in the college you get through and keep following your preferred college. Chances are that you might just make it.