DU extends Round 2 CSAS acceptance, verification, and fee payment deadlines for UG admissions, giving candidates until July 29 to secure their seats.
The University of Delhi has pushed back key deadlines in its ongoing CSAS Round 2 undergraduate admissions, giving lakhs of CUET aspirants a little more breathing room to lock in their seats.
According to the revised schedule, candidates allotted seats in Round 2, announced on July 25, now have until tomorrow to complete the acceptance process.
Once a candidate accepts their allotted seat, the process doesn’t end there. As part of the process, colleges still need to verify documents and approve applications, and this window has now been extended too, running through July 28 at 4:59 PM. Only after doing this can candidates move to the final and most decisive step: paying the admission fee, for which the university has set July 29, 4:59 PM, as the new cut-off.
The university has been firm in flagging what’s at stake. Skipping any single step in the chain, from acceptance, verification, or fee payment, can risk getting the provisional seat allotment cancelled altogether, effectively knocking candidates out of the running for that seat.
For those still navigating the process, the steps remain the same as in previous rounds. Candidates need to log into the portal using their CUET UG 2026 application number and password, head to their dashboard to review the college and programme they’ve been allotted, and click ‘Accept’ before time runs out.
The extension is the latest in a string of scheduling adjustments that have marked this year’s admission season, reflecting a pattern familiar to anyone who has been through DU’s Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) before. Deadline extensions have become something of a recurring feature of the process in recent years, often granted in response to technical glitches, document verification delays, or simply the sheer scale of applicants the system has to process each round.
For thousands of students across Delhi and beyond, these few extra days will help them secure a seat at their preferred college.
The guidelines advised students to complete all steps well before the stated deadlines and to keep track of further notifications on the official DU admissions portal.
Apart from being the biggest tournament in the world of football, the FIFA World Cup is also a celebration of heritage and cultures from across the world. From the quiet respect of Japanese fans practising atarimae to the roaring Viking row of Norway, the sartorial statements of the DRC, and Cape Verde’s astonishing underdog run to the knockout rounds, discover how the beautiful game united diverse nations. The tournament featured countless memorable moments, only a few of which are captured in this article.
The FIFA World Cup comes back to us every four years and brings with it a passion and love for the game like no other. Every four years, the world gathers to witness the magic of football. It accepts everyone—the seasonal fans, the die-hard football lovers, the loyalists, the fans who support every other team, and even the ones who do not really understand the rules of the game find themselves drawn towards any screen broadcasting the matches. This is what sets the FIFA World Cup apart from many other major sporting tournaments. It’s not just a battle of who reigns supreme on the field or has mastery over controlling the ball; it undeniably brings the world together. After all, football knows no borders.
But beyond goals, the FIFA World Cup 2026 offered us so much to look at and ponder over. It truly has been one of a kind. From it being the only football World Cup with 48 countries competing to an American classic Super Bowl-style halftime show being introduced for the final match, the audience has been kept on their toes the entire tournament!
This World Cup has been home to many “firsts”. Starting with the hosts themselves. For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, three countries—the USA, Canada, and Mexico—had the opportunity to host the tournament in collaboration with each other. The list doesn’t end there. The number of countries competing in the tournament was also the highest that it has ever recorded. This year, a grand total of 48 teams were competing for the golden trophy. For some tiny nations, it was their first appearance at this international jamboree of football; for others, a return after a very long absence. Countries like Curaçao, Cape Verde and Bosnia and Herzegovina got their names recorded in the list of countries playing the World Cup for the first time.
With fans from all across the globe filling stadiums, what grabbed more attention than the bright and colourful national flags being waved around every corner was, undeniably, the rich cultural heritage and idiosyncrasies celebrating the beautiful game.
Every country harbours in itself a distinguished way to celebrate victory or show support. The USA is often associated with loud and expressive celebration. But Japanese fans who travelled around the world to support their national team playing in the tournament performed something that earned huge respect from others. They showed their support and love in a quiet, dignified way. It would be wrong to assume, however, that Japanese fans aren’t vocal enough or fierce in their support. Terrifying face paint, showing up dressed as fearsome samurai, and even cheering their team with gusto are testimony enough. But at the end of every match, regardless of the result, we have seen them stay behind to clean up after themselves, producing plastic bin bags seemingly from nowhere and leaving the stadium as they found it. This habit reflects their deeply rooted philosophy of atarimae (things that are naturally expected) and meiwaku (avoiding causing trouble to others). The Japanese, in this way, paid their respects to the venue, the host and fellow attendees. This is not their first time practising it; the Japanese have been doing this ever since their debut in the FIFA World Cup in 1998.
In the list of the countries that returned to the World Cup after long years of not qualifying, the Norway national team remained undefeated when it came to capturing the hearts of its audience. Be it the 6’5″ striker of the team quickly becoming the most beloved star of the netizens or their beautifully blended cultural heritage while celebrating, the team has undoubtedly got us wrapped around their fingers. Their Viking row celebration was arguably the hit of the tournament. Devised by fans in a pub back in Oslo based on the legends of Norse seafarers, the celebration showcased a wonderful tapestry of Norwegian heritage, folklore and passion for the game. Executed with equal gusto and passion by both fans and players, the call of the Norse horn, blown to announce it was about to begin, sent a ripple of excitement around the ground. Beyond this, fans won American hearts by embracing the local culture just as their own. Social media couldn’t get enough of star striker Erling Haaland buying cowboy boots and hats in Texas and his return to Oslo with a taxidermied raccoon under his arm.
Erling Haaland returned to Norway with a taxidermied raccoon.
If we are talking about capturing the centre stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup for cultural and historical benchmarks, it would be extremely unfair to not talk of the Democratic Republic of Congo.The country last appeared in the tournament in 1974, when it was known as Zaire; after that, it had a long hiatus.Ruled by the then President Mobutu Sese Seko, who was famous for his leopard-skin caps, the team got the look upon their touchdown in Houston, styling it out in custom-tailored black suits featuring bold leopard-print panels and lapels and throwing down a sartorial marker. But such a peak fashion statement is not where it stops. They had fans scurrying into history books with the sight of superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga’s standing statue still on a plinth for every minute of their matches.
Michel Kuka Mboladinga has been a regular at DR Congo’s matches for more than a decade.
Despite having quite an underwhelming tournament, Scotland had its fans winning over Americans with their antics of celebration culture. It was the first time the Tartan Army’s team had made the World Cup finals for 28 years, and they were determined not to let go without enjoying themselves. Boston witnessed the Scottish fans take over the city within days of arriving—drinking bars dry, putting traffic cones on statues’ heads, leading locals on a merry dance through the parks and public places of Boston, invariably accompanied by bagpipes. Beyond their little antics of putting cones on top of statues lies a lesser-known Scottish ‘tradition’. This tradition is known to have started in the 1980s in Glasgow as a late-night, drunken prank with the equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington outside Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art getting “crowned”. This soon turned out to be seen as an unofficial symbol of Scottish culture.
Scotland fans with the Tartan Army
For 96 years, the FIFA World Cup had never witnessed the ground getting converted into a temporary stage for singers during half-time. A half-time show specifically. The World Cup final has religiously followed the same routine at half-time ever since it was established: punditry, tactical analysis, and players regrouping in the tunnel. But this year, the New Jersey stadium shook fans across the world with an intense lineup starting with Madonna. The other headliners of the show were Shakira, BTS, and Justin Bieber, with Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the PS22 Chorus, and Coldplay.
Shakira performs at halftime during the FIFA World Cup Final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino spoke on the show,
“As the world unites for the most significant football match in history on Sunday, 19 July 2026, at the New York New Jersey Stadium, this groundbreaking spectacle, curated by Chris Martin of Coldplay, will celebrate football, music and our shared values, ensuring a legacy that transcends the final whistle.”
However, all this glamour didn’t go without heavy criticism. Sports medicine experts and football officials have warned that prolonged breaks can disrupt players’ physical rhythm, and IFAB has previously stated that extending halftime could negatively impact player welfare and safety because of the longer period of inactivity, potentially increasing the risk of injuries when play resumes. More critics argue that this move has drawn comparisons to the Americanisation of football, while broadcasters like the BBC and ITV were initially reluctant to air the show, preferring their usual halftime analysis before agreeing to broadcast it. Now, will this become a newly added tradition to the FIFA World Cup final? The question remains.
Lastly, the piece would remain incomplete without a note on the tiny island nation and the most captivating underdogs—Cape Verde. They have not just played the matches with diligence and a top-notch game plan but have created a history that will be remembered for years to come. They defied multiple odds to become the smallest country to earn a spot in the World Cup knockout round. With a team cobbled together with journeymen who plied their trade in the lower leagues of Europe, this band of misfit brothers held the mighty Spain to a draw in the group stage. The Cape Verdean belief that hard work and dedication will one day be rewarded was perfectly captured in the story of the side’s 40-year-old goalkeeper, Josimar José Évora Dias, better known as Vozinha.We witnessed him make 18 saves across four matches that the team played, making it difficult for international superstars like Vinícius Júnior and Lionel Messi to get past the last line of defence. Upon the team’s return to Cape Verde as nothing less than heroes, Vozinha was honoured with a newly discovered sea slug named after him.
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha soaking up applause at the 2026 World Cup.
And just like that, the tournament has come to an end with Spain lifting the golden trophy, but more than that, for 39 days the matches have lifted the mood of its fans by bringing tremendous joy, passion, and love for the game. The tournament doesn’t only showcase goals or incredible saves but rather works as a platform blending together cultures, traditions, and celebrations from all over the world.
DU has announced a revised postgraduate admission schedule, updating the timeline for the upgrade round and spot round 1 under CSAS-PG.
With the admission process for the academic session 2026-27 underway, a revised schedule announcing dates for the upgrade round and spot round 1 under the Common Seat Allocation System for Postgraduate Admissions (CSAS-PG) has been released by DU.
Candidates allotted seats through the Delhi University PG upgradation round are required to complete the admission process by paying the prescribed fee on or before July 24, 2026. Colleges and departments will verify and approve online applications until the same date. Students who receive upgraded allocations must complete all admission formalities within the stipulated deadline to retain their allotted seats.
The university has also introduced spot round 1 to fill seats that remain vacant after the completion of the regular allocation rounds, ensuring that available postgraduate seats across departments and colleges are utilised efficiently. The round provides an opportunity for eligible applicants who were not allotted seats in the earlier rounds to secure admission to their preferred postgraduate programmes. It also enables the university to fill seats left vacant due to withdrawals, non-payment of fees, or candidates opting for admission elsewhere after previous allocation rounds.
According to the revised schedule, the list of vacant seats for spot round 1 will be published on July 25, 2026. Candidates who wish to participate must opt in for the spot round between July 25 and July 26, 2026 by 4:59 pm. To opt in, applicants are required to log in to the CSAS-PG portal using their CUET (PG) application number and password during the specified window. Only candidates who opt in during this window will be considered for seat allocation.
The university will announce the Spot Round 1 allocations on July 29, 2026. Candidates allotted seats must accept their allocation by July 31, 2026 by 4:59 pm. Colleges and departments will verify and approve online applications from July 29 to August 1, 2026 by 4:59 pm, while the final deadline for online fee payment is August 2, 2026 till 4:59 pm.
Candidates are encouraged to follow the revised schedule thoroughly and keep track of important dates to avoid any inconveniences and ensure a smooth admission process.
Speaking at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College’s Diamond Jubilee curtain raiser, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta laid out plans for hostels, a subsidised canteen and expanded bus connectivity for Delhi University, alongside a college proposal for a dedicated girls’ hostel.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta spoke at the curtain raiser for Shaheed Bhagat Singh College’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations on Thursday, where she outlined infrastructure commitments for Delhi University, asserting that a nation’s progress rests on how well it invests in its youth and the quality of its education system.
According to Gupta, the state government has prioritised upgrading academic infrastructure and student housing to position Delhi as a hub for higher education. A hostel for Delhi University students on the upcoming Indira Gandhi University campus is reportedly among the measures being considered, though the proposal is yet to be finalised.
Gupta further confirmed that the university will get an Atal Canteen from August 16, offering meals at Rs 5, alongside 50 additional U-Special bus routes for the university’s students.
The Chief Minister urged students to play an active part in nation-building and encouraged colleges to partner with surrounding communities to support local children in pursuing their ambitions. She described the creativity and drive of India’s younger generation as key to realising the goals of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and a ‘Viksit Delhi’.
Separately, the college’s administration used the occasion to press for a girls’ hostel of its own, proposing that Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College be shifted to an alternative site to free up its current premises for the new facility. College representatives said many of its female students commute from outside Delhi, and that the lack of on-campus housing continues to affect their safety and continuity of studies.
The event also featured a virtual walkthrough of the college’s history, along with Gupta’s unveiling of a year-long Diamond Jubilee events calendar and a QR code granting access to the institution’s digital archives. Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh and college Principal Arun Kumar Attree were reportedly among those in attendance.
The single-most important factor when it came to travel opportunities used to be money. Now, a growing number of Gen Z travellers are proving that meaningful journeys are shaped less by how much they spend and more by the choices they make along the way.
Budget travelling is no longer just about spending less. For Gen Z, it is about spending smartly. Instead of choosing luxury at every step, young travellers are becoming selective about where they want to indulge. What travel looked like a few years ago has changed. Today, luxury is less about a five-star hotel and more about having an experience that feels worth the money.
This shift is often called à la carte travelling. Simply put, it means building your own trip. Instead of buying a pre-planned holiday or café dining package, you decide where to save and where to spend.
You do not have to look very far to see this. It starts right here in college. Café hopping is almost a part of student life. A day before the plan, the research begins. Which café should we go to? Is the food worth it? Does the place have a nice ambience? How far is it? Then comes the budget. Instead of booking a cab, everyone squeezes into an auto, splits the fare, reaches the café, splits the bill again, clicks pictures for Instagram and spends the evening there. They save on the commute so they can spend on the experience.
The same approach follows them when they travel. Instead of spending on every part of a trip, they spend only on the parts that make the journey memorable. They might stay in a hostel instead of a hotel, take an affordable bus instead of a flight, or use public transport or rent a scooty to explore a city, so that they can spend more on experiences that actually matter to them.
Vrushank Kupsad, a student at Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, prefers staying in hostels because they bring people together. “Hotels have no life in them. In hostels, you meet people, share stories and make connections with strangers,” he said.
He also recalled taking an ₹800 bus from Bengaluru to Hubballi. “I ended up sharing life stories with a fellow passenger. It became one of my best travel memories,” he added.
Aaratrika Ghosh, a student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, said,
“I feel inherently as a student who funds her trips with her own money through freelance and internships, budget travelling becomes a plus point to optimise travel and actually travel and not just vacation. Recently, I went on a trip to Yulla Kanda in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, and I completed it under ₹4,500 (Delhi to Delhi) while travel agencies were charging a minimum of ₹7,999. I saved money by travelling local, eating local, and supporting local homestays and hostels.”
Ananya Maurya, a student at Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi, said travelling to McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh by bus and staying in a hostel made the trip both affordable and memorable.
“I still remember lying on our bunk beds in the hostel after the bus journey, talking about the reels we would make. It felt surreal that a trip which had only existed in our group chat had finally become a reality. In between, I felt like I was living in the fantasy world of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani,” she said.
Harshit Singh, a student at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, University of Delhi, said renting a scooty allowed him and his friends to explore Dharamshala freely.
“It cost us ₹600 for two days, was budget-friendly, was less expensive than a cab, and gave us the freedom to explore the city on our own,” he said.
This is equally evident at international student conferences as well. Every year, the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) brings together around 700–800 student delegates from across the world in an Asian city to discuss global issues, leadership and policy. Yet, the conference is only one part of the journey. The planning around it shows how Gen-Z travels and manages the budget today.
Once delegates are added to their cohort and city groups, conversations quickly shift to budgets. Students coordinate with one another to book the same hostel or hotel, share rooms to reduce accommodation costs, compare flight fares before prices increase, and plan extra days in the host city to explore it beyond the conference. H-PAIR also shares local recommendations and places to visit, encouraging delegates to experience the city outside the conference venue.
Taken together, these choices are changing the travel economy. Instead of relying on travel agencies and fixed itineraries, many Gen Z travellers prefer planning their own journeys. Recommendations often come from fellow travellers in a hostel, a local restaurant owner, an elderly co-passenger on a bus explaining the history of a town, or even a chance conversation with a resident, rather than from a tour operator. These interactions give travellers the flexibility to change plans, stay longer at places they enjoy and discover cafés, neighbourhoods, local markets and hidden spots that are often left out of packaged tours.
As a result, money that was once spent on hefty, all-inclusive holiday packages is now finding its way to hostels, cafés, local transport providers, scooter rentals, walking tours and other local businesses, many of which are MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises). Rather than making one large travel purchase, Gen Z is distributing its budget across different parts of the journey.
À la carte travelling is doing more than changing where young people spend their money. It is also encouraging community building. Hostels have become more than just affordable accommodation; they are spaces where travellers connect, exchange recommendations, share stories and build friendships with people from different backgrounds. These interactions often continue beyond the trip, turning chance encounters into lasting connections.
For Gen Z, the value of a journey is no longer measured by how much they spend, but by the memories they create, the people they meet and the stories they bring back. As more young people travel this way, they are not only re-framing the travel economy but also creating a travel culture where experiences, human connections and shared stories matter as much as the destination itself.
The NCWEB has commenced the admission process for B.A. (Prog.) and B.Com. programmes for the 2026–27 academic session. Eligible women candidates residing in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi can apply online until 24 July.
The Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB) has opened admissions for its B.A. (Prog.) and B.Com. undergraduate programmes for the academic session 2026–27. Online registrations began on July 8 and will remain open until July 24.
NCWEB is inviting applications for two undergraduate programmes: B.A. (Programme), with various subject combinations on offer, and B.Com. Admissions will be granted purely on a merit basis, determined by the marks obtained by candidates in their Class XII board examinations. No entrance test has been announced for the process.
Applications are being accepted exclusively through the official NCWEB admission portal. The registration process is entirely online, with applicants required to register using a valid Email ID, create a password, and complete the CAPTCHA verification before proceeding.
The admission portal notes that candidates should not wait until the final day to pay the registration fee, as applications will only be considered complete after successful payment. Candidates registering on the portal are considered for merit-based courses at NCWEB alone, subject to eligibility criteria. Applicants have also been advised to read the detailed Bulletin of Information, available in both English and Hindi, before filling out the form. Applicants are advised to keep their Class XII board examination mark sheets and other required documents ready before beginning the registration process. For admission-related queries, applicants may contact NCWEB’s Tutorial Building at the Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi, email [email protected], or call 011-27667866.
With the registration window now open, eligible candidates are advised to complete their applications well before the July 24 deadline to avoid potential technical issues caused by heavy traffic on the admission portal.
Following the closure of the registration window, NCWEB is expected to release merit lists and subsequent admission schedules on its official website. Applicants are advised to regularly check the portal for updates and further announcements regarding the admission process.
Delhi University offers a range of postgraduate diploma programmes across its colleges and departments, spanning fields from peace-building to cybersecurity. Here is what is on offer for 2026-27.
For students looking beyond conventional master’s degrees, Delhi University has several postgraduate diploma programmes worth knowing about. Some have deadlines coming up this week, so if any of these interest you, do not wait.
PG Intensive Diploma in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean Language
The Department of East Asian Studies offers intensive postgraduate diploma courses in Chinese (CF-1), Japanese (JF-1), and Korean (KF-1). Admissions for 2026–27 are open, with the deadline extended to 5th July 2026. Eligibility criteria and the admission notice are available here.
PG Diploma in Conflict Transformation and Peace-building
Offered through the Aung San Suu Kyi Centre for Peace at Lady Shri Ram College, this programmme focuses on conflict resolution and peace-building. The application deadline for 2026-27 is 12th July 2026. Further details pertaining to eligibility criteria and syllabus are available on this page.
PG Diploma in Cyber Security and Law (PGDCSL)
Offered by the Institute of Cyber Security and Law and conducted in Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, this programme covers the legal and technical dimensions of cybersecurity. Details on admissions for 2025-26 are available on the institute’s website, which indicates the new session would tentatively start mid-August.
PG Diploma in International Marketing and Analytics
Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce offers a postgraduate diploma in International Marketing. Admission details for 2026-27 have not been announced at the time of publication, but an official LinkedIn post confirms that details are forthcoming, along with the restructuring of the course. The bulletin of information from the 2025-26 session is available here.
PG Diploma in Financial Technology
Also offered by Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, the details for 2026-27 sessions are forthcoming. Interested candidates are advised to regularly check the website for further updates.
PG Diploma in Global Business Operations
Shri Ram College of Commerce offers a postgraduate diploma in Global Business Operations. Based on last year’s cycle, applications are expected to open in December 2026. Candidates are advised to monitor the admissions portal for updates.
PG Diploma in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition
Lady Irwin College offers a postgraduate diploma in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition. Admission details for 2026-27 have not been announced at the time of publication. Eligibility criteria from the previous session are available here. Interested candidates may wish to contact the college directly for updates.
Diploma in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition
The Institute of Home Economics offers a diploma in Dietetics and Public Health Nutrition. Admission details for 2026-27 are not confirmed at the time of publication; the most recent admission notice available is from the 2024-25 session. Programme details are on the institute’s website.
PG Diploma in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Drug Discovery
The Dr B.R. Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research offers a postgraduate diploma at the intersection of biology and data science. The last available admission notice is from 2024-25. Prospective applicants should check the DU website for updates.
Candidates are advised to verify all deadlines and eligibility criteria directly with the respective institutions, as details are subject to change.
Ahead of DU UG Admissions 2026, colleges including LSR and Hansraj have launched pre-admission initiatives to help aspirants understand courses, campus life, and the admissions process.
As undergraduate admissions for the 2026-27 academic session approach, several Delhi University colleges, including Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) and Hansraj College, have begun organising pre-admission outreach programmes to support prospective applicants ahead of admissions.
LSR has announced an online pre-admission counselling session scheduled for July 8, 2026, to be held via Zoom. The session is open to prospective applicants and aims to address queries regarding admissions, academic programmes, and student life. Interested candidates can register through the Google Form available on the college website to receive the Zoom link before the session.
Hansraj College has also launched its ‘Campus Connect’ programme ahead of admissions. Unlike LSR’s virtual session, the initiative invites aspirants to visit the campus, interact with the Principal and faculty members, participate in a live question-and-answer session, and take a guided tour of the campus. Separate sessions have been scheduled for July 6 for Arts and Commerce applicants and July 7 for Science applicants. The college publicised the initiative through its official X account, sharing programme details and registration information with prospective applicants. According to the college, the initiative aims to provide prospective students with first-hand exposure to academics, campus facilities, and student life before they submit their applications.
These initiatives come as thousands of students participate in Delhi University’s Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS-UG) for undergraduate admissions. With preference filling currently underway, colleges appear to be placing greater emphasis on engaging directly with prospective students and helping them make informed choices about their applications.
The emergence of such programmes reflects a broader effort by colleges to improve accessibility, enhance transparency, and give applicants a clearer understanding of academic opportunities and campus life as the admission process progresses.
In the first 24 hours after Delhi University activated its CSAS phase 1 portal, 41,473 students registered for undergraduate admission for the 2026-27 academic session. The university is expected to fill approximately 71,600 seats this admission cycle.
Delhi University has started the Phase 1 of the undergraduate admissions under the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS UG-2026) for the academic year 2026-27 on 27th June 2026. According to officials, the portal has received over 41,473 unique registrations on the first day.
One of the most sought after universities in the country, it provides 71,600 UG seats across 73 programmes and 100 BA programme combinations in various streams of studies under different faculties, namely Arts, Applied Social Sciences & Humanities, Education, Interdisciplinary & Applied Sciences, Music, Commerce & Business Studies, Mathematical Sciences, Sciences and Social Sciences. For the academic year 2026-27, admission to all UG programmes of all the colleges of UoD will be done on the basis of Common University Entrance Test (Undergraduate) – 2026 (CUET-UG–2026) only. The eligibility criteria of specific programmes and procedures involving the admission process is specified in the Undergraduate Bulletin of Information–2026 (BoI(UG)-2026) available on the admission of the University (admission.uod.ac.in).
The CSAS-UG works in three stages. First you have to register; this is Phase 1. Then you have to fill in your preferences for programmes and colleges; this is Phase 2. Finally, you get to know which seat you have been allocated; this is Phase 3. You have to complete each stage to be able to go to the next one. Missing the registration deadline disqualifies a candidate from subsequent rounds. The university has stated that some Phase 2 and Phase 3 dates remain provisional and subject to confirmation via the admission portal.
Phase 1 of CSAS involves registering and providing academic information. Candidates also need to upload documents for verification. The first phase of the CSAS works with API Setu. API Setu is a central government platform that helps exchange data. The platform allows the university to verify candidate information, including CUET scores and academic records, directly from source databases rather than through manually uploaded certificates.
Phase 1 registration for the current cycle remains open, with the university directing candidates to its admission portal and registered email addresses for further communication regarding the schedule for Phase 2 and Phase 3. Seat allocation will be carried out based on CUET scores, programme-specific eligibility, reservation policies and the preferences filled by candidates.
The university has also announced that the new academic session will commence on July 21, provided the admission schedule progresses as planned.
By challenging traditional binary norms, gender-fluid fashion has become a powerful form of self-expression. From the rock style of the Rolling Stones to Harry Styles’ Vogue cover and the Met Gala’s “Camp” theme, the boundaries between menswear and womenswear continue to blur. Rooted in LGBTQ+ history, non-binary activism, and changing cultural attitudes, fashion is steadily redefining what self-expression can look like.
“Slightly peaked shoulder jacket, ruffled blouse, and stacked heel boots”
Can you recall which heroine rocked this look on stage?
Chances are, you can’t, because it wasn’t a heroine at all! It was the famous American singer-songwriter Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson) in the iconic ‘Purple Rain’ video. Which leaves us wondering, does clothing really have to be gendered? Are beliefs such as “blue for the boys and pink for the girls” natural, or are they constructed carefully by society to help us pigeonhole ourselves, unconsciously pushing our creativity into a prison of “log kya kahenge?”
Prince challenged gender norms through his bold fashion choices.
When we think about fashion, we often associate it with creativity and individuality. Yet, when it comes to gender expression, these ideals tend to disappear. For the queer community, fashion has long been a form of self-expression, resistance, and communication. By challenging the traditional male/female binary, genderqueer fashion pushes us to rethink why we assign gender to clothing in the first place.
“Genderqueer fashion represents the avant-garde of contemporary fashion,” says Bliss Foster, a millennial fashion critic. Unfortunately, it continues to face boundaries that dictate what men and women are “supposed” to wear.
Stereotypes, especially gender stereotypes, box an individual’s choices into socially acceptable norms, discouraging them from experimenting. A common example is the normalisation of the colours blue and pink for boys and girls, which can often lead to discrimination among young children.
Clothing, as one of our primary forms of visual communication, is deeply rooted in this traditional gender binary. Cultural stereotypes associate masculinity with utility, power, and rationality, while femininity is associated with decoration and frivolity, creating rigid fashion norms that influence how people dress. True genderqueer fashion seeks to disrupt this by incorporating elements traditionally associated with femininity into masculine clothing, thereby challenging the stereotype.
The fashion industry and queer community have never been alien to each other. Fashion has long served as a tool for expressing queer identities, including those of non-binary individuals. Shaun Cole’s “Dandies: Fashion and Finesse in Art and Culture” and Elizabeth Wilson’s “Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity” have examined the intertwined history of queer aesthetics and fashion’s role in expressing and exploring sexuality and gender.
Queer fashion has a much longer history than most people realise. The deconstruction of gender stereotypes regarding clothing started around the 1920s when pants for women began to be tolerated in sports and some limited activities such as cycling and horse riding. The rising wave of gender politics and the sexual revolution dates back to the 1960s, which was swiftly followed by the 1970s era where questions regarding gender stereotypes were seriously raised, dismantling those stereotypes gradually in the process.
The Disco era helped bring gender-fluid fashion and bold self-expression into the mainstream.
As feminist and gay rights movements gained momentum, the fashion industry reacted to these movements. Alongside these movements, popular culture also played an important role. David Bowie helped introduce gender fluidity into mainstream fashion, while the Disco era familiarised these ideas amongst the masses. Prince is also considered an LGBTQ+ icon to this day for defying gender stereotypes and pushing the boundaries of sexuality. For his admirers at that time, his difference and willingness to transgress boundaries made him stand out.
Similarly, and even slightly beforehand, The Rolling Stones used their own rock style to experiment with fashion and its boundaries, often choosing to wear colourful jumpsuits and ruffled shirts. Along with this, documented examples from the punk movement and the reintroduction of men’s skirts or divided skirts by the Japanese deconstructionist designers have also had their part in de-gendering fashion around the world. It was during this time when we saw the rise of trans and non-binary activists calling for gender-neutral fashion not only as a fashionable renaissance but also as an “anti-violence imperative”.
In recent years, we have witnessed a significant rise in acceptance of fashion that goes beyond the scope of gender binary. This progressive approach has allowed generations of people to express themselves and their identities more freely, most visibly through art, music, and, importantly, fashion.
From David Bowie to Harry Styles, the landscape of gender and how we perceive it in the world of fashion is changing drastically. Stereotypes are being gradually eradicated as consumers bother less about standard gender labels and adopt a more fluid approach to individual expression.
Harry Styles’ 2020 Vogue cover that sparked conversations about fashion and identity.David Bowie performs on stage in a glitter striped jumpsuit.
In 2016, actor and musician Jaden Smith could be seen participating in a Louis Vuitton campaign showcasing their newest collection. In this campaign he can be seen wearing a skirt whilst posing with other female models in similar outfits. Not long after that, Harry Styles featured on the cover of Vogue in 2020 in a pale blue, lace-trimmed dress underneath a black tuxedo jacket, both by Gucci. However, there was significant backlash for both, raising controversies around gender-related concepts (especially masculinity) and whether events like these fell under the umbrella of men appropriating women’s clothing.
While these examples were still perceived with scepticism among older millennials, what does Gen Z say about all this? Gen Z has introduced a unique set of consumer behaviours due to their digital inclination and favouring fast, seamless experiences. Moreover, keeping in mind their high levels of acceptance, these young consumers are ditching old labels and finding new ways to express themselves outside of typical gender norms. They are arguably the most diverse generation yet, as they are also far more comfortable with shifting views of identity than older generations have been.
The year 2019 was particularly important for de-gendering fashion and the rise of acceptance for fashion that stands out of the box. Be it the 2019 Vogue’s annual Met Gala theme or the #DeGenderFashion that gained traction and eventually turned into a social movement, the year was revolutionary for fashion and gender identity, especially for Gen Z.
In 2019, the Met Gala theme was chosen to be ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’, which not only went beyond the convention but also provided the attendees with extravagant creative freedom regarding their fashion choices. This particular year was a chance for celebrities to push the boundaries of the binary and try pieces they perhaps would normally shy away from. Looking specifically at the male attendees, many chose to incorporate sequins and glitter into their looks, embracing an exaggerated version of their typical outfit choices.
Another notable moment was the “Clothes Have No Gender” talk delivered by the gender non-conforming activist, performer, and writer Alok Vaid-Menon at the Business of Fashion (#BoFVoices) stage. This later gave rise to #DeGenderFashion, which took the shape of a social movement. In that talk, they called for a complete de-gendering of the fashion and beauty industries, noting that “any article of clothing should be for anyone who wants to wear it, regardless of their gender.”
Alok Vaid-Menon champions the idea that clothes have no gender, advocating for a more inclusive fashion industry.
The idea of menswear and womenswear has been gradually eroding in recent years, giving much more room for individuality. People are no longer restricting themselves to the clothing limitations of their own gender but instead feeling free to express themselves however they choose. This has allowed the fashion industry to evolve, with many designers creating unisex and fluid collections with high-street brands following suit.
As this evolution continues, scholars such as Connell and Messerschmidt, argue that society has the capacity to deconstruct gender binaries and criticise hegemonic masculinity, encouraging brands to be more diverse and portray accurate representations of consumers. As emerging generations reject rigid gender standards, the fashion industry must adapt. It should strive to create a place where customers can take control of their bodies and accept their identities, regardless of appearance.
Ultimately, fashion has always been more than just clothing; it is a reflection of identity, culture, and self-expression. Every generation grows up with its own set of norms regarding who should wear what, only to challenge them again. Perhaps the true legacy of gender-fluid fashion lies in reminding us that the gender binary was drawn by people in the first place. And if it was drawn, it can be redrawn.
