Will Sky-High CBSE Marks Take DU, MU Cut-Offs Even Higher This Yr?

The number of students scoring above 95 percent in Class 12 CBSE rose from 17,690 in 2019 to 38,686 in 2020.

(Image: The Quint)

Overjoyed by sky-high grades scored in Class 12 board examinations conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), students seeking admissions to undergraduate courses at the University of Delhi (DU) could receive a rude shock after colleges declare their own cut-offs in about a month’s time.

The reason? The number of students scoring above 95 percent is the Class 12 CBSE exams has risen from 17,690 in 2019 to 38,686 in 2020 – that’s a jump of 118.7 percent in just a single year.

Similarly, the number of students scoring 90 percent and above has increased by 63,000 to 1,57,934.

The direct consequence of all of this will be felt in the college cut-offs at the University of Delhi, says Dr Bijaylaxmi Nanda, Principal of Delhi’s prestigious Miranda House, an all-girls college affiliated to DU.

But why do colleges in DU open to such high cut-offs? Every year lakhs of students apply to the University of Delhi, which has about 70,000 seats in total. Colleges, especially the prestigious ones, often come up with high cut-offs to avoid overcrowding of students.

By law, colleges are required to take in each and every student who meets the cut-off, even if the the institution does not have the required number of seats.

For instance, if 100 students meet the cut-off for a specific course decided by the college, it would have to admit all 100, even if there are only 80 seats for that course.

The solution? A sky-high cut-off to limit overcrowding.

Why SRCC Needs Segmented Data

At Shri Ram College of Commerce, another fabled gem in the crown of Delhi University, the data on those scoring above 95 percent is inconsequential, let alone of those scoring above 90. And there’s a reason for this, explains Principal Simrit Kaur.

In SRCC, where, too, the most meritorious flock, the need is for a segmented understanding of number of students who have scored above 95 percent. For example, if 500 students with 97 percent marks apply to a specific course in SRCC, the college would have to declare a cut-off that ensures that its classrooms are not flooded.

Professor Shobha Bagai, Dean of Admissions at the Delhi University, says that although the the cut-offs are likely to go up slightly, the real picture would become clear once results of competitive exams are clear.

“A lot would depend on NEET, JEE, Hotel Management and other competitive exams, as students aspiring for medical, engineering and other courses often apply to DU colleges... if the boards send students with high marks, obviously cut-offs will be high as well,” she says.

High Scores Reach Mumbai Shores

Thousands of kilometres away in Mumbai, colleges fear that the large number of high scorers may actually push the cut-offs to north of 95 percent. The trend, however, may be limited to only prestigious colleges in the city that are usually in high demand among students across the country.

However, Principal of KC College Dr Hemlata Bagla says that the cut-off will come down after the second list when most toppers would have zeroed in on their choice of college.