While the state increased the number of first year junior college seats, only 2.11 lakh students have applied for the courses, compared to last year’s 2.31 lakh.
Thursday was the last day to file applications. Of 2.11 lakh, 1.85 lakh students will be eligible for admissions in the general admission rounds that begin from July 12. The other applications are for quota seats and other categories such as bifocal courses.
This year, 3.19 lakh seats are available across MMR. This also includes newly added seats in 98 colleges to increase their intake in an attempt to reduce the disparity between state and other board students.
“With an overall dip in the pass percentage this year, the number of students who have applied for FYJC admissions has also gone down. As more seats are available across prominent colleges, students are more likely to get a college of their choice this year,” said an official from the state education department.
The increased number of seats, coupled with lower applications, would result in increased number of vacant seats, said experts. “Every year, thousands of seats go vacant. This year, the number is likely to go up. Increasing seats in so many colleges is a futile exercise and will only lead to more vacancies,” said a principal of a city college.
The department will now announce a general merit list, which indicates overall ranks of students in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and their scores, at 7pm on Friday.
This year, a total of 908 students from the IGCSE board have applied for admissions, most of whom are awaiting their final results and might have to give up on their seats owing to the department’s rule of not giving them provisional admissions.
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