CUET UG 2026 centre allotment triggers concerns; NTA opens reallocation window

The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the admit cards for the Common University Entrance Test, CUET UG 2026 on May 5. Soon after this announcement, many candidates raised concerns over being allotted exam centres far from their preferred cities. In response, NTA has opened a reallocation window for candidates assigned outside their preferred cities. Students can visit cuet.nta.nic.in to select available vacant slots in alternate cities on a first-come-first-serve basis.

To ensure transparency and help students understand the complexities involved in conducting a large-scale examination, the NTA shared details explaining the logistics of centre allocation.

Also read BHU sets up panel to help students, researchers, faculty to explore international fellowships

Over 15 lakh registrations

CUET UG 2026 is among the largest computer-based tests conducted globally. A total of 15,68,866 candidates have registered for exam, and they were allowed to choose up to 5 subjects each. It leaves NTA with → 67,56,321 test instances and 12,906 distinct subject combinations. The exam will be conducted in 35 shifts nationwide.

Also read Panel wants NTA CUET results on time, pen-paper tests; UGC recognition for Sonam Wangchuk’s HIAL

While sharing that 43% of all candidates concentrated in just 3 states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi, NTA said that allocating a centre is not a simple city-matching exercise. Every candidate is matched on three constraints simultaneously, including their preferred city, a unique combination of subjects and a specific shift on which those subjects are scheduled.

The post reads, "Where demand at a particular city–subject–shift intersection exceeds available CBT centre capacity, alternate cities become unavoidable — especially in the three high-demand states above." Despite this complexity, 79% of candidates were allotted their first-choice city, while 96.6% received one of their preferred cities.

Also read VIT Vellore professor lectures in 7 languages at once to help BTech students with complex topics; here’s how

Far-off exam centres

Remaining 3.4% who were assigned centres outside their preferences can select the available vacant slots now. This came after several candidates expressed concerns on social media about being allotted distant centres, with some reporting travel distances exceeding 200 kilometres. Issues related to travel cost, safety, and convenience are being widely highlighted even after NTA came out with this option.

Candidates must download their admit cards, verify centre details carefully, and plan travel to avoid last-minute difficulties. In case of issues, students can connect with the helpdesk at 011-40759000 or email at cuet-ug@nta.ac.in.