Over 4L UG Seats Allotted to 3L CAP Applicants; Colleges Worry Over 5L+ Vacancies

As undergraduate admissions kicked off across Bengal, 4,02,557 college seats have been allocated to 3,09,667 eligible candidates who had applied through the Centralized Admission Portal (CAP). This means that every eligible applicant has already secured a seat in the first merit list.

College officials noted that while most applicants have been placed, competition may still exist for select subjects at specific institutions.

With the total number of undergraduate seats in the state standing at approximately 9.5 lakh, concerns are growing among colleges that around 5.4 lakh seats may go unfilled this academic year. This fear is based on the observation that over 4 lakh seats already cover all eligible CAP candidates, and several of those seats are believed to have been blocked by the same applicants across multiple institutions.

In some prominent colleges, a high number of seats have been filled swiftly, indicating a strong interest despite the delayed admission process. Institutions expect that the shorter window for switching colleges could reduce the trend of seat-blocking, helping streamline admissions and making seats available to waitlisted students faster.

An official from the higher education department pointed out that the number of applicants this year is lower compared to previous years, mainly due to a decline in the number of students passing the Higher Secondary examination. Additionally, some subjects such as Sanskrit, philosophy, and certain science streams have seen declining interest, with fewer applications received each session. These trends, along with delays in the admission schedule, have contributed to fewer candidates taking up admissions through CAP this year.

Despite these issues, the department remains hopeful that efforts from both educators and students can help recover lost academic time and stabilize the session.

College administrators also highlighted that technical issues with the admission platform have created additional hurdles. Many institutions expect these glitches to be addressed soon, but fear that the delay could still result in a large number of unfilled seats.

On the student side, many candidates have begun the admission process promptly, aiming to secure their spots even while awaiting results from other entrance exams. A number of students indicated that they are willing to confirm their admissions now and decide later based on outcomes from other universities.