Kolkata: The standalone undergraduate admission process for the 2025-26 academic session has revealed a stark disparity among colleges in Kolkata and adjoining districts, with some institutions drawing a flood of applications while others struggle to attract students.
Following the conclusion of the centralised admission process on October 10, colleges were permitted by the Higher Education department to conduct admissions independently through their own portals. Institutions have been instructed to complete this standalone round by November 7.
However, the response from students has varied sharply. Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose College has received as many as 1,475 applications, principal Samiran Mondal said, expressing cautious optimism about the final admissions. In contrast, Maheshtala College has recorded only ten applications so far. Even some colleges that have received a fair number of applications remain uncertain about actual enrolments. Asutosh College, which usually records one of the highest admission figures, has received over 900 applications despite not offering commerce courses. “We are unsure how many of these applications will translate into confirmed admissions,” principal Manas Kabi said.
At New Alipore College, principal Joydeep Sarangi said their application window remains open until Wednesday. “By Sunday, around 150 applications had been submitted,” he added.
Education experts attribute the uneven trend to the widening gap between available seats and eligible candidates. There are over 9.5 lakh undergraduate seats across the state, but only 4,21,301 applications were submitted through the West Bengal Centralised Admission Portal (WBCAP). As a result, a significant number of seats—especially in lesser-known institutions and general courses—are likely to remain vacant.
Experts have also stressed the need to rationalise seat distribution across colleges to avoid wasteful expenditure. “Continuing to fund staff and infrastructure in under-enrolled institutions is unsustainable,” said one educationist. The Higher Education department has earlier indicated plans to review seat allocations, though officials admit that implementing such reforms is likely to take time.