CUET, not class 12th board exams to determine college admissions
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made it mandatory for all central universities to admit students to undergraduate courses through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) rather than Class 12 marks. The decision shall be implemented from the 2022-23 academic year. According to UGC chief M Jagadesh Kumar, it will alleviate the stress of impossibly high college cut-offs, which sometimes reach 100%.
Why does this story matter?
The entrance exam CUET will be administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and is mandatory for all 45 central universities. UGC has also requested that all the state, deemed-to-be, and private universities use the exam results scores for admissions to undergraduate programs across the country. According to Kumar, "one nation, one entrance test" will be a huge relief for all the students.
What did UGC chief Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar say?
"It's ridiculous to have a 100% cut-off for admission in many undergraduate programs in some of the top universities. The common exam will provide a level-playing ground to all the students across the country," Kumar said. He also said that he hopes students will now be able to concentrate more on learning rather than merely aiming for achieving the highest marks in class 12th.
Details about Common University Entrance Test
CUET will be held in the first week of July after the majority of Class 12 board exams have been completed. The application process will be online and begin in the first week of April. According to the UGC, the exam will be a computer-based, multiple-choice test using simple technology. The entrance exam syllabus will be based on the NCERT's Class 12 syllabus.
Eligibility for CUET
The CUET will be administered in 13 languages: English, Hindi, Gujarati, Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Meanwhile, the UGC has exempted foreign students from CUET. Anyone who has passed their class 12 exams is qualified to take the exam. "However, class 12 marks may be used by universities to set admission criteria," the UGC chairperson said.
What will be the structure of CUET?
Kumar explained the exam structure, saying it will be three and a half hours long and divided into various sections. In Section 1, there will be 13 language subjects from which students can choose one. In other sections, students will be able to choose up to six domain-specific subjects from a list of 27 which includes agriculture, anthropology, accounting, bookkeeping, performing arts, Sanskrit, etc.
'It will not impact the existing admission and reservation policy'
The different reservation policies of the universities will not be impacted by CUET. "The universities can enroll candidates for the general seats as well as for the reserved seats on the basis of CUET scores. It will not impact the existing admission and reservation policy," Kumar said while highlighting that the decision will give equal opportunities to students from northeast and rural India.
