Central universities can now conduct their own entrance exams or admit students based on qualifying exam marks if seats remain unfilled after CUET admissions, according to a UGC announcement on Thursday.

The UGC highlighted that keeping seats vacant throughout the academic year wastes resources and denies quality higher education to many students aspiring to study at central universities. Therefore, to address this issue, the commission has introduced new guidelines.

UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar explained that even after multiple rounds of counselling, some central universities still have unfilled seats. To mitigate this, universities can now consider students who took the CUET but did not initially apply to the specific university for their programs.

Universities may relax domain-specific subject requirements for admissions if needed. If seats are still available after reviewing CUET applicants, universities can opt to conduct their own entrance exams or screening tests at the departmental level. Additionally, they may admit students based on marks from their qualifying exams.

The entire admission process must remain merit-based and transparent, with adherence to reservation policies. The UGC emphasized that while CUET scores will remain the primary admission criterion, these measures aim to ensure that all available seats are filled and that students have access to higher education opportunities.

Source: PTI

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