Newborn BNU beats parent BU in admissions

The newly-established Bengaluru North University (BNU) is starting its first academic year this week. Though the campus is situated in a remote part of Kolar district, the varsity has managed to get more admissions than its parent, Bangalore University (BU).

The BNU alone has filled 89% of the seats. Its affiliated colleges have also seen impressive enrolments. In contrast, nearly 40% of seats in each subject/course are vacant in Bangalore University (Jnanabharati campus) and its affiliated colleges, forcing the authorities to hold another
round of counselling to fill them up.

“The main advantage for the BNU is its location. Kolar and the surrounding towns have a large number of students from economically weaker sections of society. Since private colleges in the surrounding areas were demanding high fees, many students could not afford them. That’s the void the BNU has filled by offering lower fees,” T D Kemparaju, the vice-chancellor, told DH.

The university has 138 affiliated colleges. “We value quality. At the same time, the fees are lower for several courses. Even the payment seats cost 25% less compared to the BU’s,” Kemparaju said. “This clearly made a difference in our admissions.” BU Vice-Chancellor Venugopal K R said he was happy with the new university’s success as he was a special officer when it was established.

“We felt the need for a university in that area. The university has a bright future and will attain global fame in the days to come.” Asked about low admissions in the BU, Venugopal said: “Ours is an old university and we still have subjects that don’t have much demand. In contrast, the BNU is offering only sought-after courses. That’s why it got so many admissions. Based on the current admissions, we will close down courses with low demand.”