West Bengal: Exam delay worry for foreign-bound students

KOLKATA: Students aiming to begin their postgraduate and doctoral programmes in the United States from the fall semester beginning in August are uncertain to join the classes with several prominent universities in Bengal deciding to hold the even-semester examinations (sixth-semester of UG and fourth semester of PG) from end-July to August.
“The final semester PG examinations in Calcutta University is slated to be held between August 9 and August 21. I have already found admission in the Statistics department of the Texas A&M University in PhD programme. The university authorities have instructed all international students to join latest by August 30,” said a PG fourth-semester student of CU’s Ballygunge Science College campus. She added that requests for exemptions from the foreign university are not being entertained. “They have rather suggested us to defer joining by six months which will delay my doctoral degree,” she added.

When around three students from the same department — one who is moving to Illinois and another one starting a program at Rutgers University in New Jersey, tried to reason with CU officials, no assurance was given. “Instead we have been told that the UGC academic calendar will have to be compulsorily followed. This is creating a severe stress on foreign-bound students since we’ve to quarantine ourselves after reaching the campus,” a student rued.
Some of the students even pointed out that a few foreign universities have asked the newly admitted students to submit a compensation if they fail to join classes within a stipulated deadline. Some students also said that attending online orientation program while giving final semester examinations is impossible as the time zone is different.
CU sources said that the university is open to requesting foreign universities to allow students joining late given the UGC rules can’t be violated. “All efforts will be taken in the matter of publishing the final semester results in order to facilitate those who are taking national and international admission,” said Registrar of Presidency University, Debajyoti Konar.
Jadavpur University authorities also confirmed that final semester exams in both UG and PG will be completed by July.