Delhi University Admissions : What to Expect from This Year's Cut-Offs



The result day or the D-day for class 12 students is an event in which all students hope to see their year’s toil being converted into a percentage they strived for, one they don’t feel embarrassed about sharing with their close kith and kin and the society at large. Hence this result is one standard that no Indian student has managed to get away from without being measured up against.

With the early announcement of Class 12 CBSE results, a lot of anxious minds were relieved. One source of anxiety is curbed and another one has taken its’ place, the chance of making it into Delhi University, the premier academic institute of the country. The surprises or shocks of the result are being absorbed and the possibility of making the Delhi University cut - off is being evaluated in full force by students and parents alike.

Other than student scores, many other numbers are at play in this calculation. The math goes something like this, there are about 56,000 seats in Delhi University (DU) and this year there are 94,229 students with a percentage of 90 and above, while there are 17,690 with a percentage of 95 and above. This data includes figures for five subjects while DU requires the aspirants to add only their best of four marks to get admission in their desired course. 

Moreover, there are 21,630 more students who have obtained an aggregate score of 90% and above as compared to last year. This will have a huge impact on the calculation of the cut-off percentage and also on the number of students who make it to the cut-off list. An increase in the number of students scoring 90% and above intensifies competition and makes the process of bagging a seat in DU harder.




In addition to the 12th class scores, a host of other factors decide if one’s journey from a DU aspirant to a DU student is a successful one. The number and availability of seats for the concerned course is a major determinant. Apart from high marks, the cut-off is also determined by the number of applicants. The number of applicants is rising year by year. 

Last year, DU received 2,78,574 applications for around 56,000 seats. Also, there is often a mismatch between the choice of course and choice of college as all colleges don’t offer all courses with the same number of seats. For instance, a male psychology aspirant has fewer avenues available in comparison to a female psychology aspirant, who can apply to both co-ed and girl’s colleges. 

Reservation of seats through the various legally established quotas also add to the complexity of the mix of seats. Another idea on the table about the distribution of seats is that of giving a 1% relaxation to students who cleared their class 12th from government and rural schools. This is how caste, gender and societal structures creep into supposedly merit-based admission criteria. We often forget that merit does not imply solely merit in such scenarios. 

Some students will make the cut and become students of DU and some clearly won’t. Albert Einstein said “Everybody is genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid’’. Aren’t we exposing students to such a reality? Are meeting soaring cut-offs and adhering to increasing standards of academic achievement the only way to a decent college education or isn’t it time for the education system and society to reconsider the yardstick that they use to measure competence. 

However, these are questions that will require greater introspection even though they are urgent and have a great impact on the lives of students. For now, the cut-offs are likely to increase further and the students will have to navigate through this competitive world on their own. 

Delhi University is likely to begin its registration process from 20th May this year and the registration process will go on till 31st May, according to a tentative schedule approved by the Standing Committee of Academic Council. 

Applicants are advised to constantly check out for more updates on admissions processes and lists online for the next month or so.

- Maitreyi Mehndiratta


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