Mumbai: CUET results delay leaves students in fix over admissions

Students struggle as CUET results are delayed amid NEET-UG paper leak allegations. Representation pic

Mumbai students seeking admissions to central universities are in a fix as the delay in the Combined University Entrance Test (CUET) results continues. Faced with the uncertainty of awaiting results or securing spots in state or private universities, many students have chosen the latter.

Students are now taking chances and hoping to get a transfer to their preferred institutions with refunds once the CUET results are finally released. The paper leak allegations involving NEET-UG and UGC-NET, has delayed the announcement of CUET-UG results. CUET-UG, the single-window test for admissions to most undergraduate programmes at 46 central universities, has cast a dark shadow over the admissions calendar.

Universities like Delhi University (DU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have announced delays in the academic calendar, pushing the start of first-semester classes by at least two weeks.

"I have already taken admission in NMIMS Mumbai along with another friend. However, we await CUET results and hope we get refunds as per UGC guidelines. We seek guidance and clarity on this chaos," said one of the students.

"The delay in CUET UG results is forcing students to scramble for private universities. This puts a huge financial burden on families who are counting on public options," said Neelabh Bakshi, whose son is seeking admission to one of the central universities in Delhi.

Many students took to social media platform X expressing their frustration over the delay. "First NEET and now CUET, NTA seems to be enjoying playing with students' lives. Delay in CUET results has caused huge confusion for students who prepared for the exams. Now they have no option other than to take admission in other colleges or risk it all by waiting," wrote Aditya Kumar.

Manoj Gupta posted, "CUET results are deliberately delayed to benefit private universities so that students remain in dilemma and secure seats in private universities paying hefty fees." "The Education Ministry is at it again! After the NEET result fiasco, now CUET results are stuck in limbo. How long should students wait? Maybe next they'll delay our degrees too," wrote another student Yuvraj Singh. Most central universities, including DU, Ambedkar University of Delhi (AUD), and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), are planning to start the new academic session in a staggered mode due to the delay in results. They will hold extra classes in the evenings, weekends, and reduce breaks to cover lost academic hours.

However, many faculty members and academics warn this will create a teaching-learning gap for new students, who will start classes two to three weeks later. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association stated that this will burden the faculty with a shortened semester.

"This will impact the academic calendar. There will be a huge gap in the teaching and learning process. The quality of education will suffer. The government must address the chaos caused by the NTA's exam delays. The entire academic system will bear the brunt," said a retired professor of JNU.

This is not the first time that CUET-UG results have been delayed. In its debut year (2022), the results were plagued with technical glitches and were declared in September. In 2023, results were announced in mid-July to accommodate candidates from Manipur due to ethnic conflicts. Last year in Maharashtra, CUET-UG exams were chaotic, with NTA initially allotting distant centres and then rescheduling exams last minute, causing significant inconvenience to students. This year, universities and students hoped for timely results, now expected by late July or early August.