Kolkata: With Higher Secondary (HS) results set to be announced on Wednesday, the state’s centralised college admission portal is getting a major upgrade to make the admission process more student-friendly and transparent. The revamped system will offer predictive insights into a student’s likelihood of securing admission to specific colleges and courses based on their marks, making the process clearer and less confusing.
Launched last year, the portal is now being enhanced with a data-driven predictive feature. Based on a “rank matrix” model, it will draw from last year’s admission data, including the opening and closing cut-offs for each college and course. Officials said the system, which is similar to the one used in Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) counselling, will help students make more informed choices.
This approach is expected to reduce the uncertainty many students faced during last year’s admission process. According to officials from the state Higher Education Department, the second round of counselling will offer even more accurate predictions, as real-time data from this year’s first phase of admissions will be integrated into the system.
Last year, many students, despite having adequate marks, failed to secure seats due to poor preference selections. Some applied to colleges or courses beyond their eligibility, only discovering the mismatch at the last minute and rushing to offline counselling.
Officials noted that one of the main reasons for such errors was the overwhelming number of options available on the portal. Many students submitted applications via cyber cafes, where operators often filled in details without fully understanding the student’s academic background or preferences. To address this, the updated portal will feature clearer instructions, enabling students to apply independently even if using cyber cafes.
One rule, however, remains unchanged. Students will not be allowed to opt for a lower-preference seat once a higher-preference choice has been allotted.
Last year, nearly 4.5 lakh undergraduate seats remained vacant across the state. The gap has been attributed to increased seat capacity following the COVID period, which has outpaced actual student enrolment. Several colleges have since requested permission to reduce their intake to align with current demand.