4L UG seats allotted to 3L CAP candidates, colleges fear 5L seats may stay vacant
Times of India | 24 August 2025
Kolkata: As undergraduate admissions began, 4,02,557 college seats were allocated to the 3,09,667 eligible candidates, who had applied on the central admission portal. This means, every eligible applicant has already secured a seat. College officials pointed out there could be competition for some subjects at a few institutes. With the total number of UG seats in Bengal being 9.5 lakh, college officials fear, around 5.4 lakh seats may go vacant this year as a little more than 4 lakh seats have already covered all the CAP candidates on the first merit. Also, a college official said, a good number of seats are expected to go vacant as they are occupied by the same candidate at different institutes.
Lady Brabourne College principal Siuli Sarkar said, "It's promising to see 88 seats at our college filled up quickly, indicating strong interest even after this delay. Students who have taken admission might not switch. Also by the time they get the chance to switch to another institute, one month of classes will already be over. This shortest period for admission will help prevent the tendency of blocking seats, allowing others to get admission fast.
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| Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in KolkataA higher education department official said, "This year, the number of candidates is fewer than that in previous years as fewer students had appeared and cleared the HS. There are subjects, like Sanskrit, philosophy and some science ones, which saw fewer applications, and the number is decreasing every session. These two factors, along with the delay in the admission process, have affected the number of CAP candidates taking up college admissions in Bengal.
" But the official said it was still not too late to make up for the lost time if teachers and students both put in more effort.
The principal of another college said, "Technical glitches are another problem, which we hope will be solved on Monday. But several seats may go vacant due to this delay.
" Students are visibly relieved. Malyasree Mandal, a candidate, said, "I am eligible for a seat at Lady Brabourne and I'll finish the process quickly.
" She took the Presidency University entrance test, the result of which will be out on Monday. "I will not wait for Presidency results, but if I crack it, I will have to make a choice," she added.
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