NEW DELHI: Admissions into the prestigious Delhi University (DU) would be tougher for thousands of applicants this year with the cut-off likely to go up by one to three per cent as compared to last year. The cut-off per cent for St Stephen’s is being considered an indication of things to come. Stephen’s, though part of DU, has an independent admission process.

The cut-off per cent for Stephen’s was declared on Friday. It has registered an increase of one to two per cent in almost all the under-graduate courses. This is also likely to trigger an increase in the cut-offs of other colleges under DU.

The increase in cut-off was anticipated, say DU officials. "The increase has been due to two reasons. The number of students scoring above 90 per cent has gone up considerably and the number of students applying at DU has gone up too," said SK Vij, dean for students welfare, DU. This year, DU received a total of nearly 23,000 applicants — up by at least 2,000 from last year. Popular subjects like History, Economics and English have seen a one to two per cent increase in applicants.