New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) is considering conducting a common counselling for undergraduate admissions based on Common University Entrance Test-Undergraduate (CUET-UG) scores, similar to medical and engineering courses, sources revealed. A committee comprising officials from various universities has been constituted by the UGC to deliberate on this proposal, with five prestigious universities participating in a pilot run. However, the timeline for implementing this concept remains uncertain, contingent upon the committee’s recommendations.
The panel’s objective is to conduct an internal pilot to assess the advantages and disadvantages of such a system. If implemented, it would offer a centralised admission platform, enabling students to submit their preferences through a single portal rather than applying separately to universities, stated a source familiar with the matter.
The outcome of the committee’s evaluation will determine the feasibility of this initiative, and subsequent consultations with stakeholders will follow. UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar refrained from commenting on the issue.
Earlier, the UGC had contemplated merging the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for engineering and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical courses with CUET-UG, which was introduced in 2022. However, there have been no further developments on this front.
CUET, the common gateway for undergraduate admissions in central universities, has witnessed over 14.9 lakh registrations, making it the second-largest entrance exam in India, surpassing JEE-Main’s average registration of nine lakh. NEET-UG remains the largest entrance test in India with an average of 18 lakh registrations. JEE-Mains is conducted twice a year as a Computer-Based Test (CBT), whereas NEET is conducted in pen-and-paper mode.
Scheduled to take place from May 15 to 31 this year, CUET-UG was introduced in 2022 to streamline the admission process across central, state, deemed, and private universities nationwide.
In a departure from tradition, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has outlined a hybrid examination format for CUET-UG 2024. This format includes both computer-based testing and pen-and-paper modes for different subjects. Subjects with high registration volumes will adopt a pen-and-paper format using optical mark recognition (OMR), while others will remain computer-based.
The significant registration volume of approximately 14.9 lakh for CUET-UG in the previous cycle underscores its importance in the higher education landscape.
