A new academic year brings with it a new batch of anxious faces, eagerly looking at the DU cut-offs, hoping they get in. Lakhs of students apply to the University of Delhi annually while only a few make it through. This year too over 4 lakh applications were recorded, the highest being from Delhi, followed by Uttar Pradesh. The lowest number of applications were received from West Bengal. All these candidates are vying for a mere 70,000 seats.

Owing to the deadly second wave of the coronavirus, the exams pan India were cancelled. The different education boards came up with fair scoring criteria for their students. Everyone witnessed remarkable inflation in their marks after the results were declared, with more than  70,000 CBSE students scoring above 95%.

This posed a massive dilemma for the college principals, some of them even suggesting a centralised entrance exam for the batch of 2021. But due to time and procedural constraints, the same wasn’t feasible to conduct. Finally, the University decided to follow the merit basis for admission to the undergraduate programs.

Speculations were rife about the cut-offs being astronomically high for this academic year which, unfortunately, turned out to be true.

After a long and tiring wait, the first cut off list was released yesterday.

In an unprecedented development,  at least 6 colleges have released 100% cut-offs in 10 courses which have left the students all over India in shock.

Ramjas college and Hindu college demanded a whopping 100% for Political Science Hons. and Computer Science Hons. The other north campus colleges have followed the same trend. SRCC set the bar at 100% too for B.Com Hons. 13 out of 20 courses in Hansraj college are only available to students who have scored above 99%. The score required for English Hons. has increased by a percent to settle at 99% in most colleges. At Vivekananda College, History Hons requires 97%, a sharp jump from the previous year’s 85%.

Experts are now questioning the evaluation of the board results. A teacher at SRCC clarified that the 100% cut off was based on the applicant data provided to them which had almost 450 students who scored a perfect 100 in the best of four aggregate. It is indeed quite baffling how so many students managed to procure such excessive marks. Fingers would be pointed at various school managements who might have graciously rewarded marks to their pupils.

The number of 100 scorers at DU has increased to almost 10,000 from 5,500 last year. Understandably, the cut-off can’t be kept low.

The cut off list has left many students distraught, a number of them are looking at their DU dreams shattering. Aspirants who are just at the 90% margin are worried about their college prospects now, with many of them looking to seek admission in other universities. The ones who scored below 90% have very bleak chances of getting in, seeing the current trend. This is a leading cause of stress as well as anxiety for both parents and students as their future is now enveloped in a shadow of uncertainty.

The education system has been heavily criticised as there is only space for exceptional scorers in universities now. The entire focus has now shifted to performance in exams instead of the holistic development of children. The sky is the only limit now when it comes to college cut-offs.