West Bengal UG admissions 2025 may start before June 19: Bratya Basu amid OBC quota row, CAP delay

Undergraduate admissions to government and government-aided colleges in West Bengal are expected to begin before June 19, education minister Bratya Basu informed the Assembly, according to a report by The Telegraph. The announcement follows growing concern among college heads and teachers over the delay in launching the centralised admission portal for the academic session 2025.

Responding to a query from an opposition MLA, Basu said there had been no delay and pointed out that the portal had opened on June 19 last year as well. “We will begin the process in line with the UGC academic calendar. We are hopeful that admissions will start before June 19,” he said, as reported by The Telegraph.

The delay in launching the West Bengal centralised admission portal comes more than a month after the Class 12 board results were published, leading to concerns that many students may opt for private or out-of-state institutions.

According to a Telegraph report, St Xavier’s College in Park Street, St Xavier’s University in New Town, and Scottish Church College have all released their first round of merit lists. Two Ramakrishna Mission institutions — the Residential College in Narendrapur and the Centenary College in Rahara — are expected to have conducted their entrance tests by the time the state-run portal opens.

Delay may push meritorious students elsewhere

Heads of various state-run colleges say the late start may result in bright students choosing other options. Jadavpur University’s English department recently raised concerns over the possibility of losing students who have already begun applying elsewhere due to the uncertainty.

Navin Poudyal, principal of Pedong Government College in Darjeeling, said that had the admission portal opened on time, the first round of admissions would have been completed, and the second would already be underway. “With the delay, students are likely to consider neighbouring states like Sikkim,” he said.

OBC policy uncertainty delays admissions

The delay this year has been linked to the state’s OBC reservation policy. The Calcutta High Court had, in May last year, set aside the previous formula, following which the state revised the policy. However, the revised formula still awaits clearance from the Supreme Court, where the matter is under challenge.

The state cabinet approved the new reservation structure last week, but questions remain over why the government did not accelerate the process. The prolonged delay has prompted the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association (JUTA) to demand immediate intervention. At an executive committee meeting held on June 2, JUTA passed a resolution urging the university to begin undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD admissions without further waiting.