West Bengal UG Admissions 2025: Private Colleges Finish Early, Govt Yet to Start

By early June, private and autonomous colleges and universities had largely completed their undergraduate admission processes, while government-aided institutions that admit students via the state-run centralized admission portal had yet to initiate theirs.

Undergraduate admissions at several institutions concluded as follows: St. Xavier’s College closed its applications on May 31, while St. Xavier’s University wrapped up the process on May 28. Ramakrishna Mission Residential College (Autonomous), Narendrapur, was scheduled to close UG admissions on June 8. Scottish Church College also planned to close applications by the same date.

Most private and autonomous colleges had either finished collecting applications or were about to close admissions, which began shortly after the Plus-II board results were published in early May.

Meanwhile, the admission process through the centralized state portal for government-aided colleges remained on hold. The state cabinet finalized the OBC reservation framework for education and employment on Monday, but the portal itself had not been launched, causing uncertainty among institutions and students alike.

Education Minister Bratya Basu, speaking earlier in the week, stated: “We are not late. Last year, the portal opened on June 19. This year, it will start earlier. There is no need to worry.” On May 23, he had announced that the portal would open by the end of the month. However, by early June, it was still inactive.

In May 2024, the Calcutta High Court overturned the state’s notification that recognized certain groups as OBCs in the context of education and employment. The state subsequently challenged this decision in the Supreme Court. Until clarity on this issue emerged, the admission process for many government institutions remained in limbo.

This delay left both college authorities and students anxious. Principals expressed concerns that prolonged inaction could lead to unfilled seats. Many students were unable to secure spots in private, autonomous, or minority institutions not covered by the centralized system and were still waiting for government college admissions to open.

Institutions such as Calcutta University and Jadavpur University also had not initiated their UG admissions due to the absence of state directives. Siuli Sarkar, principal of Lady Brabourne College, noted uncertainty about whether to apply the previous OBC reservation criteria. She, like others, awaited guidance from the state government.

Manas Kabi, principal of Asutosh College and secretary of the All Bengal Principals’ Council, confirmed that many colleges were waiting for the undergraduate portal to launch.

Several principals warned that any further delay could lead to better-qualified students opting for private institutions instead. “Delays like last year could again result in a large number of vacant seats,” said Sharmila Mitra, principal of Behala College.

Jadavpur University, which conducts its own admission tests and operates independently of the centralized portal, had initially planned to release its own admission notice. However, the state government requested the university to hold off due to unresolved issues surrounding the OBC quota.

The Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association recently urged the government in writing to begin the UG admission process promptly. Letters were sent to both the higher education and backward classes welfare departments.

Calcutta University, too, faced delays in enrolling students into its in-house undergraduate courses such as music and nutrition due to the ongoing uncertainty.