Delhi University (DU) will use Class XII marks to fill any remaining vacant undergraduate seats after the completion of regular admission rounds, Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh announced on Thursday.
This decision follows a directive from the University Grants Commission (UGC), which issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for Central Universities to ensure full enrollment in undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programs.
The UGC emphasized that leaving seats unfilled throughout the academic year wastes resources and denies quality higher education to students.
Yogesh Singh commented on the UGC directive, saying, “We welcome the directive by UGC. We are equally sensitive to the fact that seats in any course should not remain vacant. We will use Class XII marks to fill the vacant seats in UG programs.”
Last year, Delhi University faced a situation where about 5,000 seats remained unfilled despite various efforts to complete admissions.
According to the UGC SOP, universities may conduct their entrance exams for UG and PG courses if seats remain empty after standard admission rounds.
Regarding the possibility of holding an entrance exam to address vacant seats, Singh stated, “We will not hold an entrance exam but will ensure all seats are filled in the university.”
The admission process for the 2024-25 academic year is currently underway. Delhi University is offering more than 71,000 seats across over 65 colleges through the Common University Entrance Test Undergraduate (CUET UG).
The admissions process began on May 28 with the first phase, which saw around 270,000 students register on the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) portal. However, the start of phase two has been delayed due to the postponement of CUET UG results. The university aims to proceed quickly once the results are available to fill all seats.
The UGC guidelines state that CUET scores will remain the primary admission criteria for central universities. However, students who have taken CUET but did not apply to specific universities may still be considered. Additionally, universities may conduct their own entrance exams or screening tests if seats remain vacant after all CUET applicants have been considered. The SOP also allows for flexibility in domain-specific criteria for admission based on CUET scores.