DU mop-up round: Why some colleges now admit students on Class 12 marks

The University of Delhi (DU) has, for the second consecutive year, entered a mop-up round for undergraduate admissions. In this round, some colleges have been permitted to admit students based on their Class 12 board examination results instead of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores. This move comes after over 13,300 of the approximately 71,600 undergraduate seats across affiliated colleges remained vacant after multiple rounds of counselling.

Under the usual process, admissions are conducted through the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) portal, where candidates list their preferred course-college combinations. Seats are then allocated based on CUET scores and preferences. However, certain combinations—especially those involving lesser-known colleges or less sought-after courses—may not attract enough candidates to fill all available seats.

To address this, the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued standard operating procedures in 2024 that allow universities to fill such vacant seats through alternative methods, including the use of Class 12 marks. Following this, DU has allowed several colleges, mostly off-campus, to conduct mop-up admissions based on board exam scores. The list of such colleges has grown over the past week, now including some well-known institutions like Indraprastha College for Women and Gargi College.

This practice marks a shift from the pre-2022 system, when admissions were almost entirely based on Class 12 results. Under that system, colleges published individual cut-offs, which often soared above 90% for popular courses, and some even demanded near-perfect scores. Critics pointed out that varying standards among state and central boards made the cut-off system unfair, favouring students from boards that awarded marks more liberally.

In 2022, the UGC made CUET compulsory for all Central universities, describing it as a standardised test that would eliminate board disparities and create a level playing field. CUET has since been the primary admission route. However, the mop-up round using Class 12 marks has now been used for two consecutive years to ensure seats do not go waste.

DU officials have stressed that CUET will remain the main basis for admissions and that Class 12 marks are only being used as a fallback for seats that remain vacant after multiple rounds. They add that the number of seats filled through this alternative method is limited and does not undermine the overall CUET-based process.

Students and educators have welcomed the move as a pragmatic solution to vacancy problems, though some have raised concerns about consistency. Nevertheless, the university maintains that the mop-up round is a temporary measure and that CUET remains the standard for undergraduate admissions.