Kolkata: More than one lakh students have secured undergraduate admission in Bengal within 48 hours of the process going live through the centralised admission portal, according to the state Higher Education department.
The first merit list was published on August 22, allotting 4,02,557 seats to 3,09,667 valid applicants across 7,232 courses in 460 colleges under 17 universities. Admissions against this list began on Friday evening and will continue until Monday. By 7 pm on Sunday, nearly 1.25 lakh students had taken admission in their allotted seats by paying the requisite fees.Colleges simultaneously began physical verification of documents on Saturday, a process that will continue until August 27. Institutions reported steady turnout on Saturday and expect a heavy rush on Monday, the final day of admissions. Lady Brabourne College principal Siuli Sarkar said: “Till 10 pm on Saturday, 138 admissions had been completed against our 629 seats.
Normally the portal opens earlier, and Jadavpur and Presidency admissions continue for longer, enabling students to shift even after enrolling. This year, as all admissions are happening simultaneously, students can make informed choices from the outset, which is good.” With 9.5 lakh undergraduate seats available across the state, around 5.4 lakh may remain vacant, as the little over 4 lakh seats allotted through the portal already cover every valid applicant. The number of vacant seats is expected to rise further because many reserved category candidates have been allotted two seats, one under their category and another in the unreserved list, but can enrol in only one.
Still, colleges expressed satisfaction with the pace of admissions so far. Jaydeep Sarangi, principal of New Alipore College, said: “Till now, around 415 students have taken admission. Every year we usually admit 1,200–1,300 students. This year our first allotment was 1,230, and within two days 415 students have already enrolled. The number is absolutely fine.”
Meanwhile, the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board is expected to announce the results of PUBDET, the entrance test for undergraduate courses at Presidency University, on Monday.