Over three lakh students applied for admission to undergraduate courses in Delhi University this year, but only 54,000 could make it to the 77 colleges under the varsity.
While the lucky 16 per cent are already enjoying the “fresher” phase at the colleges, what happened to the remaining 84 per cent candidates? The government and private universities in and around Delhi seem to have the answer.
Among the government institutions that drew students in hordes were Jawaharlal Nehru University, Indraprastha University, Jamia Millia Islamia University and Ambedkar University. The private varsities which received a number of applicants included Amity and Ashoka University.
JNU, Indraprastha, Jamia universities admitted students on the basis of entrance exams, while Ambedkar University released cut-offs, which were initially as high as DU.
In its first cut-off list, Ambedkar University asked for 97 per cent marks for admission to BA (Honours) with a major in English for commerce students. Similarly, the cut-off was 98 per cent for admission to BA (Honours) with a major in psychology for commerce students.
The cut-off came down with the second and the third list and many students who were not able to get psychology (Honours) in DU got into Ambedkar University. “We have a good reputation for our psychology course which is why a lot of students opted for it,” said Kuriakose Mamkoottam, dean, student service.
Indraprastha University also saw an unprecedented rush of students this year. “Delhi University has a brand value but Indraprastha despite being only 15 years old has been able to set a standard when it comes to professional courses. We have an A grade accreditation by NAAC. When it comes to the market value of our courses, some of them are in the league of other top-notch universities,” said Nalini Ranjan, PRO, Indraprastha University.
“Among our popular courses are B.Tech, BBA and BCA. For the B.Tech course, more than 70,000 students had applied this year for seven thousand seats,” he added.
Those who could not make it to any of the government universities, took the pick from a range of private universities in Delhi and NCR. Some others chose private colleges over other government colleges irrespective of the reputation of the institutions and the difference in fee structures. Their reasons for selecting private colleges -- market-friendly courses, foreign tie-ups and international exchange programmes.
“I scored 75 per cent marks in Class XII and I knew that I will not get admission to Delhi University. I applied to Amity University for a course in business management. They have good international tie-ups which will give me more exposure. Also, their placement record is good, so it perfectly suits me,” said a student.
The fee structure at Amity varies from Rs.70,000 to Rs.1,00,000 per semester. The varsity offers scholarships to students who have scored over 90 per cent in their Class XII exams.
At Amity, the criteria for admission are interview along with Class XII marks, but the cut-off here is not as high as DU. To get admission to a B.Com course, a student needs minimum of 70 per cent marks in Class XII.
Sunita Singh, dean, admissions and examinations, Amity University, said: “We believe that a student should not be judged only on the basis of his/her marks, which is why we have the provision of interview for admission. Many students come here because of the record number of placements that the university offers.”
At Ashoka University, a student may have to shell out as much as Rs.5 lakh per year, including education and hostel fees. But the varsity offers scholarship up to 70 per cent of the total cost depending on the marks and the financial position of the student.
A student, who got admission to Ashoka University, said: “I scored 80 per cent marks in Class XII and I wanted to study literature. I applied to Ashoka University because they have a good faculty for literature and they have collaborations with University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkley, King’s College London and Trinity College of Dublin.”
