CUET must for UG admission at all Central Universities, dates soon: UGC Chairman

For the academic session 2022-23, the National Testing Agency will conduct the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and dates for the test will be announced within a week, University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman M Jagdesh Kumar said on Monday.

The test will be mandatory for admission to undergraduate courses at central universities funded by the UGC but state, private and deemed to be universities can opt for the test if they wish to, he informed.

“All higher educational institutions, irrespective of whether they are state universities, private universities, or deemed to be universities, all of them can use the CUET scores for admission in UG and PG programmes. However, it may be noted that admission in UG programmes in all central universities funded by the UGC will be solely on CUET scores,” the UGC chairman said.

“We have decided to give wide choice to students to pick the subjects…a candidate can take as many as six domain subjects in addition to a compulsory language test and also the general test,” he added.

There will be 43 domain specific subjects in CUET 2022.

Universities at their level can set the minimum percentage of class 12 board examination for admission to UG programmes, the UGC chairman said, adding that there will be no centralised counselling process of CUET.

The recently-appointed chairman of the UGC further said the entrance test will provide a common platform to get admission to all universities and colleges across the country, and equal opportunities to students studying under different boards, especially to those from the North East region and other rural and remote parts.

“CUET is expected to reduce the financial burden on parents and students since students do not have to write multiple entrance exams for admission to UG and PG programmes,” he added.