No FYJC seat yet for 10K Mumbai Metropolitan Region students

Of the 21,835 students who got a seat in 2nd special merit list, only 10,058 get 1st choice; 1.38L seats vacant; another round not yet announced

More than 10,000 students in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) did not get a seat even in the second special merit list for first year junior college (FYJC) admissions declared on Tuesday evening.

Students who have been allotted seats under the second special round can secure their admission by January 8. (HT FILE)

A total of 32,368 students had applied in the round, of which 21,835 students secured a seat. Of the students who got a seat, only half (10,058) got their first preference. This is even as more than 1.38 lakh seats in the MMR (including general and quota seats) were vacant after admissions in the first special round concluded on December 31.

Several prominent colleges in the city did not declare the second special list as all seats were full after the first four admission rounds. For instance, in the arts stream, prominent colleges such as St Xavier’s College in Dhobi Talao, Ruparel and Ruia College in Matunga and Mithibai college in Vile Parle had no list. For science, some prominent colleges like Mithibai, Ruparel and St Xavier’s saw a marginal increase in the cut-offs compared to the first special round.

Principals said while a large number of students have managed to secure a seat by now, many who are still uncertain might still be left out. “There might be some with lower percentages who might want to try till the end and have thus not secured a seat. Sometimes, students also opt for colleges whose cut-offs are way higher than their score. Also, with the results for the Class 10 supplementary exams being declared recently, some students who passed the exam might have also applied,” said a principal of a suburban college.

Students who have been allotted seats under the second special round can secure their admission by January 8. This year, there will be no first-come, first-served (FCFS) rounds for admissions this year. FCFS rounds usually follow regular admission rounds wherein students can claim seats against vacancies across colleges in a particular city or district and are allotted seats on the basis of who claims them first. These rounds were introduced in the academic year 2018-19, but were criticised by many parents and experts as they allowed students with lower scores to get into top colleges against vacant seats.