The West Bengal Higher Education Department has postponed the introduction of its new online system for decentralised undergraduate admissions, just hours after announcing that the portal would become operational from Thursday.

The decision comes at a time when a significant number of undergraduate seats remain unfilled across state-aided colleges. Following three rounds of admissions conducted through the Centralised Admission Portal (CAP), more than five lakh UG seats are still vacant.

The proposed system marks a new approach to decentralised admissions. Instead of colleges independently handling applications, students would submit their applications through a common online platform, while the overall process would remain under central monitoring by the higher education authorities.

The department had issued an order on August 31 outlining the proposed launch and had subsequently informed college principals and coordinators about the arrangements. However, on Wednesday evening, colleges received fresh instructions indicating that the decentralised admission process had been postponed until further directions.

The sudden change has left colleges that had already begun preparations for the portal launch waiting for further instructions. College administrators are concerned that the postponement could slow down the process of filling the large number of vacant seats.

The department has not yet publicly explained the reason for the last-minute postponement, and officials were reportedly unavailable for clarification.

According to available admission figures, around 4 lakh of the approximately 8.5 lakh undergraduate seats across 460 state-aided institutions have been allocated through CAP. About 3.8 lakh students have completed their admissions during the first three rounds.

Previously, decentralised admissions were managed separately by individual colleges, often through their own admission portals. Under the proposed new arrangement, colleges would not need to operate separate portals, as applications would be routed through the centralised online system.

The planned system was also intended to make the admission process more convenient for students. Applicants would be able to submit their forms and undergo the initial selection process online, without having to visit colleges in person at these stages.

The postponement means colleges and prospective students will now have to wait for the higher education department to announce a revised schedule for the decentralised admission process.