Hundreds of students who secured admission to Delhi University (DU) through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) this academic year are now entangled in a frustrating wait for their fee refunds, official data reveals. A total of 693 undergraduate and postgraduate aspirants who later cancelled their seats have not received their money back for months, with a conservative estimated sum exceeding ₹70 lakh stuck in limbo.
The Refund Failure and University Notice
The issue came to the fore when DU issued public notices on December 26, listing the details of 630 UG and 63 PG applicants whose refund transactions had failed. The university clarified that these admissions were specifically processed through the CUET-based Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) portal. According to the notices, the automatic refund process failed due to discrepancies like invalid account numbers or mismatched bank details.
DU stated that it had processed the refunds for these UG and PG candidates on December 6 and November 20, respectively. However, the transactions could not be completed. The university has now asked the affected students to update their bank information using online forms to facilitate the reprocessing. There has been no immediate clarification from the university's admission branch on the delay in resolving these failed transactions or how many students have been reimbursed since the notices were posted.
A Pattern of Vacancies and Cancellations
This refund snag highlights a recurring annual trend in DU's admission cycle. Seat cancellations are common as students often use DU as a backup option while waiting for outcomes from other preferred universities or later counselling rounds. Admission to DU is confirmed only after full fee payment, which the institution is mandated to refund upon cancellation. University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines stipulate that this refund must be processed within 15 days of cancellation.
The problem unfolds against a persistent backdrop of vacant seats. This year, DU had approximately 9,000 vacant undergraduate seats by mid-September, a number higher than in 2024. Since the introduction of CUET in 2022, vacant seat numbers have seen fluctuations:
- 2022: Around 5,000 seats unfilled after the mop-up round.
- 2023: The number rose to about 7,000 vacant seats.
- 2024: Nearly 3,000 seats remained vacant despite multiple filling efforts.
Over the last three years, a staggering 15,000 undergraduate seats have gone unfilled, leading to an estimated revenue loss of over ₹21 crore for the university.
Broader Implications and University's Stance
The substantial pending refund amount, calculated at a minimum of ₹10,000 per student, underscores systemic hiccups in the financial reconciliation process of mass admissions. While DU has defended the CUET-based system, stating that vacancies existed even before its implementation, the compounding issue of delayed refunds adds to the administrative challenges.
This year's undergraduate admission process, which included special spot rounds based on Class XII marks to fill empty seats, concluded in late September. The ongoing refund dilemma, however, leaves a significant number of students financially strained and awaiting resolution, pointing to a need for more robust technical and procedural frameworks in handling admission withdrawals and fee reimbursements.
