Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay has attributed the recurring issue of vacant undergraduate seats during the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) to what he described as an unplanned expansion of college seats undertaken by the previous administration.

According to the minister, the number of undergraduate seats available across colleges and universities is significantly higher than the number of students qualifying the Higher Secondary examination each year. He stated that approximately 6 to 6.5 lakh students pass the examination annually, whereas institutions collectively offer nearly 9 to 9.5 lakh undergraduate seats. He also alleged that several institutions were established without adequately assessing academic demand, resulting in a persistent mismatch between seat availability and the number of eligible applicants.

Chattopadhyay said the expansion of higher education lacked long-term planning, making it unrealistic to expect all available seats to be filled when the pool of eligible students remains considerably smaller.

The minister added that the Higher Education Department is currently focused on ensuring the admission process is completed smoothly. He noted that a clearer assessment of the situation would be possible only after the ongoing admission cycle is concluded.

The Centralised Admission Portal (CAP) for undergraduate admissions opened on May 19. Of the more than 9 lakh seats available across participating institutions, approximately 3.8 lakh have been allotted so far.

Official data further shows that during the 2025 admission cycle, 4,21,301 students registered through the centralised portal. However, only 2,69,777 candidates ultimately secured admission, while the total number of undergraduate seats stood at 9,36,215.