E-Paper
CUET-PG: 130k candidates apply, most aspirants from Uttar Pradesh
With just four days left to apply, the first common university entrance test for admission to postgraduate programmes (CUET-PG) has already seen 131,518 registrations till Monday.
With just four days left to apply, the first common university entrance test for admission to postgraduate programmes (CUET-PG) has already seen 131,518 registrations till Monday, official data showed on Tuesday, with the maximum number of students applying from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Kerala and Odisha.
This is the first time India is conducting common admission tests for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in central universities. While the test for undergraduate admissions is mandatory, the examination for postgraduate programmes is optional for the upcoming academic session. A total of 58 universities, including 35 central varsities, are participating this year.
The number of applications may rise to 1.5 to 1.7 lakh, ministry officials said, seeking anonymity. Still, the numbers could be on the lower side since some premier central universities such as Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, University of Allahabad and Aligarh Muslim University, are not participating in the CUET-PG this year, they said.
“We are expecting more universities to join the postgraduate entrance exam from next year,” an official said. “Despite CUET-PG being announced only last month, the number of applications that have been received so far are also very encouraging.”
The CUET-PG will be conducted in the last week of July by the National Testing Agency, which is also conducting the text for undergraduate admissions. The exact date is yet to be announced. It will be a computer-based exam for which registrations will remain open till June 18.
The programmes for which the exam will be conducted include Master of Arts in different disciplines, LLM, BEd, MEd, MSc in different subjects, MSW, MPharma, MCA and postgraduate diplomas in several subjects, among others.
As many as 131,518 candidates have applied and paid fees for the CUET-PG till Monday, education ministry data showed. The maximum number of applicants (30, 847) are from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Kerala (14,983) and Odisha (10,735).
Other states where applications were high included Bihar (7,910), West Bengal (7,118), Madhya Pradesh (7,117), Assam (5,157), Haryana (4,151) and Rajasthan (4,088), the data showed.
