Ahmedabad: For thousands of students and parents, this year’s college admission process has become an exercise in patience. While Gujarat University’s admission process under the Gujarat Common Admission Service (GCAS) has completed two rounds, candidates are still waiting for clarity. At the centre of the uncertainty is St Xavier’s College, one of Ahmedabad’s most sought-after institutions, where admissions remain stuck amid an ongoing legal dispute. The resulting confusion is now affecting colleges across the system.
High Demand and Legal Hurdles
Nearly 10,000 students have applied for around 1,800 seats at St Xavier’s College, reflecting the intense demand for admission. However, the college’s admission process has come to a standstill after the state education department directed that all admissions be conducted exclusively through GCAS. Before the directive, St Xavier’s had launched its own admission process and even released a merit list. The process was subsequently halted following the government’s intervention. The matter is now before the court, and students are awaiting clarity on how admissions will eventually be conducted.
Ripple Effect on Admission Cycle
The uncertainty has created a ripple effect across the admission cycle. Many students hoping to secure admission in St Xavier’s have participated in the GCAS process but are reluctant to confirm seats allotted to them in other colleges. As a result, a significant number of seats remain blocked despite multiple rounds of admissions. Data from the admission process highlights the gap. Of the approximately 4.5 lakh applicants who filled their college preferences under GCAS, only around 1.3 lakh students have confirmed admissions after two rounds.
Experts Highlight Structural Challenges
Education experts say the situation exposes structural challenges within the centralised admission system. According to them, students with higher scores often receive offers from multiple institutions, resulting in temporary seat blocking and making it difficult to assess the actual availability of seats. This, they argue, delays admissions for students in the middle score range, particularly those with marks between 70% and 80%, who are finding it increasingly difficult to secure seats in their preferred colleges.
Calls for Greater Autonomy
Some experts have also called for greater autonomy for college principals in managing admissions, arguing that decentralised decision-making could help reduce delays and improve seat utilisation.
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