The University of Delhi is all set to release its much awaited cut off lists for its Under Graduate courses in a few days. While the long wait for the cut off lists have caused a lot of anxiety in the mind of applicants, another aspect of the admission procedure has caused great confusion among applicants, and i.e. the method of calculating their aggregate percentages (Best of 4/Best of 3) for specific courses for the Cut off- Based admissions.
The age of Information Overload does have its advantages like the availability of unlimited information easily at the click of a button, but like any other modern advent, it does have a flipside to it and the confusions regarding the admission procedure to the Delhi University stands out as a prime example.
Multiple sources are available through which students can easily get information. Websites, News Blogs, Mobile Apps, etc, provide applicants information with a click of a button, and hence many a times may overshadow the official sources of information.
Due to the algorithms of SEO, many sites which may have outdated information or fake information may rank the best, and thereby give the feeling of authenticity to applicants, due to which when they may encounter a difference in the information projected by another source of information (Website, app, etc), they may get confused.
This is exactly what has been the case with the procedures and updates regarding the admissions procedure in the Delhi University and maybe other universities too this year. The Pandemic mandated fundamental changes to the admission procedures, however, old articles which dominate SEO, pop up as top results when searched online, causing the fire of confusion, to which fake news adds fuel. Hence, it is important that applicants must always refer to the official websites of the universities/colleges they wish to get admitted into and not to any other unofficial source of information. Even if they encounter any other unofficial source, it is essential to recheck from official sources in this age of misinformation and information overload.
Thus, the DU applicants are requested to only rely on the Official Website of the University of Delhi (www.du.ac.in) for any kind of updates or information. Secondary sources can also be referred to, however, as mentioned above, it is always better to double check with the official sources.
Different websites and applications have different information regarding the calculation of the aggregate percentage required for admission into the Delhi University. However, to avoid such confusion, all the information regarding calculation of aggregates has been explained in detail here, using the UG Information Bulletin released by the University.
First of all, it is essential to understand that the University has a list of Academic (List A) and Elective subjects (List B).
This list is to be referred to so as to calculate the percentage aggregate for specific courses. It is also important to note that there are courses which also allow the inclusion of unlisted subjects like Physical Education, Painting, etc.
Now, for admissions for courses in Arts, Commerce, Mathematical Sciences, Music, Social Sciences, Applied Social Sciences and Humanities, the aggregate percentage/merit is calculated through course-specific combinations of marks obtained in the qualifying examination (12th Boards) in the “Best Four” subjects.
However, the course-specific combinations of “Three Subjects” is to be calculated for admission to courses under the faculties of Sciences and Applied Sciences.
The Course-Specific combinations extracted from the DU UG Bulletin for Best of Fours and Best of Threes have been given below-
Inclusion of Mathematics is not mandatory for Economics hons. The applicant is only required to have passed in Mathematics in Class 12th.
Inclusion of Mathematics in Best Of Four is not mandatory for Bcom hons. An applicant only has to pass in the subject in class 12th.
All of these guidelines have been extracted from the Official DU UG Bulletin of information. It can be accessed here-
It is also essential to not that, certain colleges may follow different rules as well. Hence, applicants must also checkout the official website of the college they wish to take admission in to know whether there is any additional or different provision in regard to calculation of aggregate percentages.
Stream - Change Deductions?
In this context, it is also essential to mention that this year, there is a lot of buzz about "Stream Change Deductions". Many news outlets claim that it won't take place this year. That may be true, however, there have been no official announcements by the University about this.
Further, it can also be observed that the University in its own bulletin, has mentioned a 5% deduction for stream change in BA Programme. However, last year only 4-5 or a few more colleges had followed the rule of percentage deduction for stream change in BA Programme. The majority of the colleges didn't deduct any percentage. Hence, applicants must keep checking the official website of the college they wish to get admitted in so as to understand what rules are followed by the particular college. Colleges mention the rules followed by them on their official websites.
For Example, Sri Venkateswara College, released this notification recently and announced that there would be no deductions for stream change in B.A. Programme.
It is also important to note that all colleges may not announce this through a notification. Colleges can mention this anywhere on their official website. It can even be the Prospectus or a different section dedicated to Admissions Criteria.
Concerned Subject Deductions?
Another very important thing to ponder about in this context is that stream change deduction is only concerned with B.A. Programme. In the eligibility criteria for the rest of the other courses, applicants can notice in the rules above, there is mostly talk about inclusion of Concerned Subjects.
For example, in History hons, History must be included, otherwise there will be a deduction of 2.5% imposed on the best of four irrespective of the stream. Thus, even if a student from Humanities applies for this course without including History in the Best of Four, he/she will have to face a 2.5% deduction and so will Commerce and Science students. This kind of concerned subject deductions are not imposed in case of B.A. Programme since B.A. Programme is concerned with Stream Change Deductions as explained above.
To end with, we hope that in this period of information overload, this article hasn't added burden to the confusion faced by applicants, but eased them out.
Best wishes to all applicants by Team Astitva!