A 100 per cent nightmare
New Delhi: The Delhi University’s first cut-off list has touched the 100 per cent mark again this year with three off-campus colleges setting the maximum bar as admissions began on Tuesday after a week’s delay over the university’s controversial four-year undergraduate programme.
The “100 per cent cut-off” for arts students seeking to study computer science at Acharya Narendra Dev, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee colleges raised many eyebrows as nearly three lakh students began the campus circuit for admissions.
The 100 per cent cut-off for computer science at Ram Lal Anand College last year and for B.Com (Hons) at the Shri Ram College of Commerce in 2011 had sparked a major outcry.
“A 100% cut-off doesn’t tell you the college is good. It tells you something is really, really wrong with our education system,” tweeted author Chetan Bhagat.
“I have scored 94 per cent and I want to pursue history. But I couldn’t qualify for the first cutoff, so I have to wait,” Ravi Chandra, a student from Manipur, said.
The high cutoff has forced Mohan Yadav from Madhya Pradesh to wait for some more time.
“I have scored 93.66 percent and wanted admission in B.Com Honours in Ramjas College. But the cutoffs are very high and I have to wait for the second list,” Yadav said.
The marks needed for commerce and arts courses are also high. Students expect the threshold to drop by the second, third and fourth lists. The university has notified that it will release eight cut-off lists this year.
The Hindu College has announced a 97.25-99.75 per cent bar for commerce and 97.5-99 per cent for economics.
Most colleges have set a 90-plus benchmark for their commerce courses, with the maximum touching 99.75 per cent.
The high cut-offs have seen no distinction between the university’s elite and most coveted colleges and those that are usually not the first choice of students and located outside the campus.
Even for English courses, colleges like Hindu have asked for 98.5 per cent. The first ever cut-off marks for a new journalism course in six colleges are above 90 per cent.
Hindu College principal Pradyuman Kumar justified the high cut-offs saying it reduces too many applications.
“We had great problems as the admission dates were postponed. My daughter has applied for B.Sc Honours… but the first cutoffs are really high, we are hoping that in the second ) cutoff, she will qualify,” Sharmila Mukherjee from Assam told IANS.
“We are not from here, and have come from Assam. Now after so much wait, we will have to wait further,” Megharupa Sharma said.
In Hindu College, the cutoff for commerce was between 99.75 and 97.25 percent, while it was between 96.25 and 92 percent last year.
Similarly, in Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), the commerce cutoff is between 99.25 and 97.5 percent, while it was between 97 and 93.75 percent in 2013.
Hans Raj College has also set a high cutoff between 99.25 and 97.25 for honours in commerce.
For economics, Hindu College has set its benchmark between 99 and 97.5 percent, followed by SRCC between 98.25 and 97.25 percent.
For English, the cutoff is as high as 97 percent in Hindu College and Miranda House.
Admissions will take place for 54,000 seats in 61 affiliated colleges under the university. (Agencies)