FYJC special round in Maharashtra: Few seats in arts and commerce; cut-offs to rise

Although there are fewer aspirants and more seats in this round, cut-offs (minimum marks) are expected to rise

The first special round for the first year junior college (FYJC) sections began on Friday, with 88, 642 vacant seats. But only a few of them were for the arts and commerce streams across Mumbai’s coveted colleges.

A student who has not been allotted a seat or did not secure admission in the earlier rounds can apply for the special round. (HT)

This will drive up cut-offs in the upcoming rounds, said principals.

A student who has not been allotted a seat or did not secure admission in the earlier rounds can apply for the special round. According to education officials, more than 20,000 applicants are eligible as they were left without a seat at the end of the scheduled rounds.

Although there are fewer aspirants and more seats in this round, cut-offs (minimum marks) are expected to rise as most seats are from lesser-known colleges. Coveted colleges barely have five to 10 seats vacant in arts and commerce.

Mulund College of Commerce has filled up all its seats, while RA Podar College, Matunga, has one seat remaining in the forthcoming rounds. Another college in demand, Narsee Monjee, has three seats in the commerce-aided section. Even vocational courses offered by the institution are nearly full — tourism and hospitality management has three seats, marketing and retail has four, and accounting and office management has five.

Thakkar admitted it will be tough for students seeking admission to their college. “Our cut-off in the previous list itself was as high as 88.2%. So now that there are fewer seats left, we expect it to remain high,” he said.

In contrast, getting into the science stream will be easier as there are 20 to 40 seats vacant across colleges. Sathaye College, Vile Parle, has just three empty seats in the commerce stream, but 76 vacancies in science and 42 in arts. Similarly, Jai Hind College, Churchgate, has 18 seats in science, compared to two in commerce and seven in arts.

“Commerce has always been in high demand, so it’s not surprising that there are only a few seats left, but science is becoming less popular,” said Ashok Wadia, principal of the college. Wadia added, “Arts is finding more takers, but colleges have not increased their seats in the stream and so, by now, there are very few arts seats remaining.”