DU adopts uniform eligibility criteria for MSc admissions

With admissions to academic session 2018-19 round the corner, the Delhi University (DU) has decided that only those candidates who have at least 55 per cent aggregate marks in the Undergraduate (UG) are eligible to appear in entrance test for the postgraduate (PG) science courses. While 60 per cent in UG is the required minimum criteria for applying against direct “DU quota” seats filled through cut-off based on percentage. Earlier, there was no uniform minimum eligibility criterion for applying to various PG courses and it varied as per course.

Half of the seats in various postgraduate courses of Delhi University are filled through open entrance test while the admission to the rest half of the seats reserved for DU students is made on merit based on percentage of marks in UG.

Having different sets of eligibility criteria for various PG courses was quite an “ordeal” for both students and administration. The science faculty admission committee in its meeting held on Wednesday chaired by Dean Science faculty Maharaj K Pandit has decided to bring uniformity in minimum selection criteria in order to make it more convenient and “stream-lined”.

There are nine science PG courses and the number of seats available in various science PG courses has also been decided. M.Sc. Zoology will have 92 seats, 294 in M.Sc. Physics, 278 in M.Sc. Chemistry, 32 in M.Sc. Geology, 78 in M.Sc. Botany, 46 in M.Sc. Anthropology, 54 in M.Sc. Environmental Science, etc. All the seats in M.Sc. Environmental Science are to be filled through open entrance test only and not through direct DU quota as Delhi University do not run a course at UG level in Environmental Science.

Also this year, the DU will multiply the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of a UG student with multiplier factor of 9.5 in order to convert it into percentage. CGPA would be given under the present scheme of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) rather than marks. Only after this conversion the cut-off based on percentage for filling the 50 per cent, direct DU quota seats would be released.

“The admissions to various UG courses will tentatively begin by the end of this month or from first week of the next month. The admissions to various PG courses will only begin after that,” a DU official added.