Glitches hit DU online admission process

Glitches in online admission system created problems for several candidates on Thursday, the first day of admissions in Delhi University (DU) colleges for the 2016-17 academic year.

The DU website was slow, applicants reported. Some received admission slips online for courses which they were later told they don’t qualify for.

This is the first time that DU admissions are fully made online.  Foreign applicants found that their admission slips were not generated when they applied online, apparently because the online procedure is yet to be implemented for overseas students.

Some parents claimed that admission slips generated by the DU website indicated that their child was eligible for a course. However, the authorities concerned turned them away. “My daughter filled in for BA (H) Philosophy in LSR (Lady Shri Ram College) online. We got the slip but now the college authorities are saying that she is not qualified because 2.5% marks will be deducted from her best of four aggregate, because she didn’t study Philosophy in school. But this instruction was not mentioned in the online prospectus,” said an anxious mother.

In such cases, while the college didn’t accept the admission slips, the DU website did not generate a second one.

A student is required to have another admission slip if he/she wishes to apply to a different college. Colleges were unable to sort out this issue, and asked parents to go to the university. 

Later in the day, DU’s Dean of Students Welfare, G S Tuteja said that the glitches were fixed and a second admission slip could be generated.

Kanika Khandelwal, associate professor of Psychology at LSR, reported a case where admission slips were not getting generated for foreign students.

“This year, we cannot go forward with the admission without the admission slip as the serial number reflected in the slip is privy to the candidate and required by the bank where the fees will be paid,” said Khandelwal. 

Following last year’s policy, foreign students came to the college with an official letter from deputy dean of Foreign Student’s Registry. But, this is not being accepted this year.

Tuteja said that they will try to make the whole procedure online this year for foreign students as well.

However, foreign students still have 15 days to seek admissions under the first cut-off list, unlike other students.

Akriti Choudhury, who applied to Psychology (H) under Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, also came to LSR with documents which proved inadequate as she did not have her father’s income certificate.

“Income certificate requirement was added for the first time this year. I had already applied for it when the registrations started. But I still haven’t received it. The first cut-off will stay only for three days and I have to get it by then. Otherwise, I will lose my chance to study here,” she said.

The second list of cut-offs is likely to be out on July 2.