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Protests about anomalies in DU’s PG admissions have recently raised concerns about the transparency of the admissions process. While many PG applicants came forward questioning the rejection of their admission applications without an adequate reason, the DU administration refuted such claims, stating that the rejection was due to failure to meet “program-specific eligibility criteria.”

The University of Delhi started its first round of seat allocation for postgraduate admissions on August 17th. Shortly after that, students began to dispute the allocation process and claim that their forms were rejected for no reason at all. This provoked widespread uproar, with student organisations such as SFI and AISA holding protests. While the disclosure of a merit list and re-consideration of rejected applications were among the primary demands, other PG aspirants want the process halted and replaced with a fresh, transparent admissions process.

The fair solution is to cancel the first round and hold it again after considering all eligible students.”

A Twitter user tweeted

Some of the major allegations against the university admission process are as follows:

Within the same category, candidates with lower marks are assigned a college, while those with higher marks are not.

One of the major concerns about the admissions process was the lack of transparency in seat allocation. DU did not officially release a merit list this year. With reports of students with low scores within the same category being assigned a college while those with better marks were not, there was a great deal of uncertainty among students.

The SFI Delhi State Committee released a statement condemning the arbitrariness of Delhi University’s M.A. admission process.

Delhi University did not release a provisional rank list or cut-off list, thereby undermining the transparency of the admission process. The criteria on which the selection of candidates depends remain unspecified.”

-SFI Delhi Instagram Post

Many applicants who were offered seats in the first round were denied admission. Students argue that no rational explanation was provided.

Many students allege that they were offered a spot in the first round of admissions but that their applications were rejected. Applicants argue that neither the college nor the admissions office provided them with a legitimate reason.

I had applied for admission in PG at DU through CUET PG 2023 and was allocated Motilal Nehru College. But the college authority abruptly rejected my allocation, citing the reason ‘invalid documents’ without even specifying the name of the document. However, the documents I uploaded are correct and valid. This is just sheer misuse of authority, and candidates like us who work so hard to get admission to such prestigious colleges feel cheated and dejected. This is happening to so many candidates, not just me.”

                                                                  -Anish tweeted                

Some students alleged that their forms were rejected because they were flagged as “wrong category (C1 and C2)* selection” even if the category they chose was correct.

(C1 = Those students who graduated from another recognised institution as well as those enrolled in the programme degree at DU

(C2 = students who completed their degree with honours in the subject for which they are applying.)

The uncertainty over categorization was one of the most serious and evident flaws in the admissions process. Many students were refused admission due to category selection errors. Students contend that they picked the correct category. The mistake was made by the university.

My form clearly shows my category, but still, my form got rejected, stating “wrong eligibility criteria..

–  A PG applicant

Significant variance in the difficulty level of CUET PG papers and question repetition

Some disciplines’ CUET PG exams were held in two stages separated by approximately 2-3 weeks. Students who took the first phase say that the phase 2 paper was way too easy. Not only that, but several of the questions in the Phase 2 paper were repeated or restructured.

For example, CUET PG Paper for M.A. English

  1. Question ID: 92090624040 – French_____ (structuralism) was inaugurated in the 1950s by cultural anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss.

Directly linked to Question ID: 6863409182 from Phase 1: Who among the following is not a post-structuralist critic (Levi-Strauss)?

  1. Question ID: 92090624021 – Gorboduc, the first English tragedy, has been written in ___ (blank verse)

Repeated in: Question ID: 9209064063 – Which of the following plays was written in blank verse? (Gorboduc).

  1. Question ID: 92090624033: Savitri, an epic in blank verse, was written by ___ (Sri Aurobindo).

Repeated from Question ID: 6863409149 from Phase 1: Savitri, a literary epic in English, was written by ____ (Sri Aurobindo).

We expected normalisation to happen, but NTA didn’t do that for us.”

-A PG aspirant who appeared for the M.A. English Entrance

Many student organisations protested against this level of dispensary in the admissions process. The Student’s Federation of India (SFI) organised a demonstration outside the Arts Faculty and handed in a memorandum calling for the admission of all competent applicants who had been wrongfully denied admission as well as for greater transparency in the admissions process. A video explaining the problems with the admissions process was also issued by SFI Delhi on their Instagram page.

The All India Students Association (AISA) also organised a protest at the admission block, calling for the prompt release of all admission lists as well as compensation for all discrepancies. Students who had been waiting for three days at the admission block to have their problems resolved joined the protest.

AISA activists reached the admission block and saw that more than 50 students were lined up in anticipation of their admission. AISA activists raised slogans against the lack of transparency and demanded that the admission in charge come out and answer all queries. The administration was adamant about not listening to the students. The admission in charge did not even bother to come out. However, the persistence of the protesters resulted in a partial victory, and the C1, C2, and CGPA change issues were solved.”

-Anjali, AISA DU Secretary

Finally, on the 21st, the university issued a notice addressing these issues, but students contend that the notice was only a formality and did not address their problems.

Those candidates who had chosen Category-1 in their applications and have been rejected due to non-fulfilment of “Programme Specific Eligibility” criteria in Category 2 will be considered in Category-1 in subsequent lists as per their merit.

Those candidates who failed to convert their CGPA score into percentage (%) despite several announcements made by the university in this regard may be able to do the CGPA to percentage conversion in the mid-entry window. Such candidates will be considered mid-entrants.”

–  Notice released by the Admission Branch

Many students said they were refused entry to the admission block on the north campus. Students also alleged that the admissions branch wasn’t responding to their calls or emails.

Rejecting applications in the first round without any reason and then considering them in subsequent rounds with leftover seats is unfair.”

–  Shivam, A PG Applicant

The degree of transparency of the CUET admission procedure for both UG and PG programmes has always been an important area of concern. However, such blatant carelessness and mistakes in the admission procedure cast doubt on the credibility of admission through this method and risk the future of the students. The University of Delhi is one of the biggest and most prestigious central universities in India. Such large-scale dispensaries in the admission process only serve to highlight the state of the education system in our country. To answer these questions and provide transparency in the admissions process, the university should release a merit list. Along with this, the institution should set up an experienced grievance committee that addresses student complaints respectfully and assists them with the admission process.

 

Image Credits: DU Updates

Read Also: “You Are Not Special”: Delhi HC Questions DU over Decision to Use CLAT Scores for 5-Year Law Course Admissions

 

Dhruv Bhati

[email protected]

 

The fervour for postgraduate admissions under the University of Delhi is all set to hit full swing, with the varsity announcing the admissions schedule and process on its technical-snag prone website.

Under PG admissions, all departments have two modes of admission – merit and entrance. Students from the University of Delhi who have performed well at the undergraduate level will take up 50% of the seats. This mode of direct admission is not available to students of other universities. The other 50% of seats will be filled through entrance tests and interviews or group discussions.

The timeline for the admission process dates July 17th-19th for the release of the first admission list and the subsequent steps to secure a seat in the desired college. Entrance for a plethora of courses was conducted in the first week of July; with reports of an assortment of cheating tactics surfacing across different colleges. The varsity announced the results for these entrances over the last two days.

The schedule for admissions, as well as the list of documents required at the Reporting Centres, are as follows:

Graphic by Kartik Kakar for DU Beat
Graphic by Kartik Kakar for DU Beat

Here’s a rundown of the admissions process of the applicants:

  1. All the registered applicants should have successfully updated the details of their qualifying exams on the portals (which were reopened till July 14th).
  2. For the ‘merit category,’ it is mandatory for the candidates to upload the aforementioned marks on the portal to be considered for inclusion in the Admissions List. For the ‘entrance category,’ there is no such clause.
  3. Departments who announce the results will declare the First Admissions List on their websites on July 17th, 2017. The list will be comprehensive in terms of both the mode of admissions and for all categories. The allotment of the applicants has been calculated on the basis of the rank and availability of seats in the desired college. The applicant will have to visit the college to verify the documents and pay the fees to complete the admissions process.
  4. Having met the allotment list, the applicants is required to log on to the PG portal, and download and fill the Admission Form. The Form will distinctly mention the Reporting Centre (where the applicant will report) and the Place of Admission (where the applicant will be admitted).
  5. The applicant can then proceed to the Reporting Centre with the Admission Form and the required documents for the verification process. The applicant will then be marked ‘verified’ or ‘reported’ depending on whether he/she has the mark-sheet of the qualifying examination; with the former category possessing the said document. These applicants will then move to the Place of Admission for allotting the original documents, and certificates will be retained at these colleges.
  6. The applicants can then log on to their portals to make the online fee payment within the stipulated period, which would watermark their admission in a particular college.

You can peruse the detailed process here.

The list of centres marked for distinct departments can be looked up here.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: University of Delhi

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

The online registration process for the admission to post-graduate courses has been reopened by Delhi University. The deadline has been extended to May 30th, midnight.

The revival process took place as a result of multiple complaints by students on Wednesday. According to them, the DU server was down for hours on Tuesday, the previous deadline for submission. The students submitted a memorandum to the Dean, requesting for deadline extension.

The university further informed that the students who conform to this deadline will be allowed to submit their fees till 4pm on May 31st.

This year, for the convenience of out-stationed students, the entrance exams will be conducted in 6 cities, namely Kolkata, Chennai, Jammu, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Varanasi. They will be conducted between June 18 and 24 and interviews will be completed by July 4.

Image credits : www.indianexpress.com

Lovleen Kaur

[email protected]

University of Delhi has released the long-awaited guidelines and dates for Masters and Post-graduation admissions for the 2016-17 session and has decided to keep the entire registration process online. The rationale behind the move has been to facilitate easy access to students from all over the country and abroad. The online registration is also mandatory for those seeking admission to post graduate courses being offered at School of Open Learning (SOL) and Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB). 

The registration is set to begin from 6.00 p.m., 28 April 2016 and will end on midnight, May 24, 2016. All admission seekers will need to register through the online PG Admissions Portal, and will be able to access all necessary documents and information like the admit card, centre allocation, results and venues of group discussions etc online as well. The entrance exams are likely to be held between June 19 and June 23, 2016.

For the first time, provisions have been made to conduct the entrances all across the country. The selected locations are Bengaluru, Nagpur, Delhi, Jammu, Varanasi and Kolkata. The format of the exam will be multiple choice questions and the duration of the exam will be 2 hours. In the case of certain foreign languages, including Persian, subjective questions will be asked and will need to be answered in the space given in the question booklet itself.

The registration fee is Rs. 500 for General and OBC applicants and Rs 250 for SC and ST applicants.

For entrance test dates, examination specifications and more, you may take a look at the University PG Information Portal here. 

Shubham Kaushik

[email protected]

As the new session inches closer and the admission procedure is about to begin, University of Delhi has introduced a few changes in the admission procedure for Post Graduate courses. The University will be opening five new admission centres outside Delhi for the convenience of outstation candidates. These centres will be conducting entrance exams and will be set up in Jammu, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Kolkata, and Nagpur.


The Admission process, along with submission of fees will also be conducted online, on the suggestion of an 18 member committee that formulates rules for Post Graduate admissions. The suggestions will be sent to the Vice Chancellor for approval.
DU has reserved 50% of the seats for direct admissions when the aspirants have graduated from DU. The remaining 50% seats will be filled through entrance tests and interviews.


The University will also be giving a cutoff relaxation to OBC aspirants. The cutoff will be upto 10% lower than the cutoff for students from the General category. It is also likely that the subjective entrance tests will be replaced by objective tests. The committee is thinking about replacing the subjective tests with multiple choice questions. This is to ensure transparency in the evaluation of these tests. 

The admission process is expected to begin towards the end of April and the registrations will be winded up by mid May. The Entrance tests will be held in the beginning of June.

Image credits: dailymail.co.uk 

Akshara Srivastava

[email protected]

report published in the Times of India (TOI), students will be able to get their master’s degree based on a new credit based system. This move is expected to give more flexibility to students while picking a suitable course for themselves. DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh stated that few reforms will be seen effective from the approaching session itself, whereas the full set of changes will be brought and visible from 2015-16 onward. He added that the work on the PG course reforms and proposal was going on and that he may like to call it a credit based system. Students will not only have to pass in the examinations, but also may have to attain a certain minimum number of credits to clear the examination. “The expectation is that a DU student will be able to gain the credits in about a year’s time”, he was quoted saying to TOI. Singh also hinted at some changes at the FYUP level. Trans-disciplinary programmes will enable students to gain extra points during the last year of their undergraduate course, the benefits of which can be availed at the postgraduate level. He explained that re-mixing of courses would bring about more flexibility to the system and enable students to reach their higher potential. However, the basic format of the FYUP, especially the foundation courses will not be altered. Projects might be merged and more changes will be announced which will hopefully be approved by regulatory bodies. Project areas like population and internet  have been identified. The complete information is expected to be declared soon. However, this proposal for a one year PG reforms is yet to be approved by the University’s Academic and Executive Councils. Talking about the success of the FYUP, Singh admitted that there was positive feedback from the economically and socially disadvantaged strata. Girls who get married during their college years and as a result ended up wasting their studies, are now given a chance to complete their studies in the given time period of 10-years. “Trans-disciplinary knowledge has definitely gone up tremendously,” he added.]]>