High cut-off marks & financial constraints dampen demand for private colleges in Chennai

CHENNAI:  With the State Board and the CBSE announcing near 100 per cent pass, it was expected that private colleges in the State would receive a significant rise in number of applications this time in comparison to previous years. However, the numbers have only dipped so far.

The fact that only two more days are left for applying to the Government Arts and Science colleges, makes the situation all the more strange. Loyola College authorities say that on an average the institute used to receive 32,000 to 35,000 applications annually, but this time they have received only 25,000 applications so far.

The situation is same with Ethiraj College for Women. The college had received 30,000 applications last year while this year it has received only around 20,000 so far. In MOP Vaishnav college, the number has dipped by almost 10 per cent.

According to academicians, the high cut-off marks and financial constraints may have restricted many from applying to premier colleges in the State. “Commerce is the most sought after course in our college and this time even students, who secured 95 per cent marks will find it difficult to enter the merit quota. The competition is very tight now,” points out MOP Vaishnav College principal Lalitha Balakrishnan.

Students focussing more on career-oriented courses might also have led to the decline in application numbers, feels Loyola College principal Thomas Amritham. “They don’t want to study random subjects now. Add to it the high cut-off marks and strict selection process,” he adds. Education consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi believes the pandemic has affected families severely on the financial front, especially in the rural and semi-urban areas. 

“Youth from the rural belt usually aspire to come down to Chennai to study in premier colleges, but pandemic has toppled their aspirations. Since, all colleges are conducting online classes, the students might feel that they might as well study in a government college and spend less.

In many families, the financial situation is so bad that class 12 pass outs may have to start earning now. I have received many calls from students in rural areas, who tell me that their parents are forcing them to land jobs,” he added.

The number of applications received by Government Arts and Science Colleges substantiates the claim. There are 143 government colleges in the State with over a 1 lakh seats in total, while over 2.6 lakh students have submitted applications this year.