UG merit list: HSC students have advantage in securing admission to colleges, say principals
MUMBAI: On day one after the first general merit list for undergraduate degree courses was released, city colleges saw students trickling in to book their seats. Principals were, however, unanimous in their view that this year, state board HSC students have an advantage, given that they will be able to bag a seat in Mumbai’s well-known and coveted colleges since class 12 CBSE, and ISC students are not in the fray.
On Wednesday, the merit lists by colleges affiliated with the University of Mumbai (MU) recorded a dip of between 6 to 17 percentage points across both, traditional streams as well as self-financed courses, as compared to cut-offs last year. The significant drop in cut-off scores was a consequence of a lower pass percentage among HSC students and exclusion of class 12 CBSE and ISC scores.
“HSC students have hugely benefited. Usually, these students who would get admission in the third list are getting a chance in the first list this year,” said Hemlata Bagla, principal, KC College, Churchgate. Bagla said there is an increase in the number of applications for microbiology and biotechnology courses. “Students might have seen a scope in these courses because everyone kept a close watch on the healthcare industry during the pandemic. This year, there has also been an increase in the number of students applying for Bcom after UGC (University Grants Commission) has introduced different specialisations over the years,” she added. At KC College, the cut-off for the Bcom course dipped by 3.15% points – from 96.15% in 2021 to 93% this year.
Bandra-based RD National College, Bandra saw applications for BSC (Biotechnology) almost doubled, even after excluding non-state education board students. “We are seeing many MBA aspirants choosing Bcom over self-financed courses since these students want to focus on building their skills, instead of opting for BMS or bachelor of accounting and finances as they have plenty of assignments,” said Neha Jagtiani, principal, RD National College.