Even distinction is low this admission season in Mumbai

This admission season will see even students with distinction struggle to get admission in the city’s second-rung colleges. College principals attribute this trend to an anomaly in the offline admission process.

Though the offline admissions were started for students unable to secure seats in any college in the online process, many high-scoring students who didn’t get a college of their choice are now applying through the offline process.

“There are many students who were allotted seats in the online process, but they chose not to take admission because it was not a college of their choice,” said Marie Fernandes, principal, St Andrews College in Bandra.

“The applications from these students will now drive up cut-off percentages even in second-rung colleges.”

On day two of offline admissions, St Andrews College received 150 applications for science and commerce stream. All these applications were from top scorers, none less than 78%.

“Our merit list for science may close at 78% and commerce above 75%. Students scoring less than that do not stand a chance in our college this time,” added Fernandes.

Also, many students with distinction are opting for the arts as the cut-off there could be lower. Sheetal Mandotiya, a student of St Theresa High School at Charni Road, who had secured 76% in SSC, said she applied for the arts stream as that was the only way she could get into a good college.

“I actually wanted commerce, but looking at the cut-throat competition even in the offline admissions, I took up arts in SIES College. At least, I will be in a good college and I can change my stream after HSC,” said Mandotiya.