Seats in self-financed courses of Mumbai University may go up by 15% this year

Mumbai: Seats in self-financed courses in degree colleges affiliated to Mumbai University may go up by 15% this year. In continuation with the government’s order passed recently to allow colleges to increase intake by 10%, the university’s management council on Monday okayed conditions under which colleges will be granted sanction. A proposal to grant academic autonomy to Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) and Welingkar’s Institute was also passed by the council.
The increase in intake capacity will be sanctioned only to colleges which have infrastructure and apply for additional seats. “It is decided that whatever additional intake colleges have sought will be granted. But the university will allow an upper limit of 15% for self-financed courses such as BMS, BMM, BAF, BSc-IT, and 10% for traditional courses such as BCom, BA and BSc. Colleges can apply for additional intake by July 11,” university registrar M A Khan said. Thus, if a college has 120 seats in BMS, it will be allowed to take 18 more students after the 15% sanction. But, if the college has 800 seats in BCom, it can increase intake by 80 seats, which will benefit students who have not got seats in a college of their choice.
Senate member and council member Mahadeo Jagtap said there was huge demand for self-financed courses in good colleges after good HSC results. “Colleges will be told to give sufficient time to students to apply for admission. Colleges from where the university has received complaints of donations, higher fees or any such irregularities will not be granted permission to increase intake,” said Jagtap. Almost 88% regular candidates who appeared for the HSC exam this year cleared it.
One of the oldest management institutes in the city and the university’s management department, JBIMS’s academic autonomy was approved for 2014-15. Khan said the academic council and Board of College and University Development approved the proposal to grant autonomy, which will allow them to decide their admission criteria and process, and quality assurance.
The council also okayed a decision to allow colleges to conduct their own convocation ceremony, once the university’s ceremony is over.