Despite 90% in Boards, Students Unable to Join Dream DU College

The first cut-off at the prestigious Delhi University colleges stopped at 97 to 98 percent. At LSR, it was 100% .

The first cut-off at most prestigious Delhi University colleges stopped at 97 to 98 percent. At LSR, it was 100% .

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

“99 percent, 100 percent, where does that leave the rest of us?” asks Naureen, who aspires to take admission in the best of colleges affiliated to the University of Delhi, but has been left disgruntled once DU declared its first cut-off list. She had scored 94 percent in her Class 12 board examinations.

Naureen, who wants to study Psychology, has got the subject at a college which offers it with a subject combination of Philosophy – a combination she’s not very keen on pursuing.

As a result, the DU aspirant simply hasn’t taken admission.

Similarly, Pragya Sharma, who scored 94.5 percent, was left utterly flabbergasted, after she realised that the cut-offs for Political Science at Motilal Nehru College had soared beyond what it was last year.

“It’s not that I wanted to get into St Stephens or Miranda House or Kirori Mal. I just wanted to pursue BA Honours in Political Science from Motilal Nehru college. I chose this college and I knew this would happen after seeing the trend of the cut-offs. Yet, I didn’t get into it.”

Pragya Sharma, DU Aspirant

Sharma was forced to take admission at a little-known DU college, where she feels she has absolutely no chance to grow. It’s for almost identical reasons that DU Aspirant Srishti Shukla did not take admission into any DU college.

While DU has only roughly 70,000 seats in UG courses as against over three lakh applicants this year, these students at least have an option to take admission, while those who have scored below 90 percent are left with no choice.