The introduction of four-year undergraduate course in the Delhi University has made student from the National Capital Region shift to popular universities in the neighbouring areas and Panjab University is on top of the list.
This year Panjab University has received five times the number of forms as compared to number of available seats in different courses. According to PU sources, the four-year undergraduate program at DU has prompted many students to seek admission at Panjab University.
Dinesh, an aspirant at PU said, “The extra one year is a burden on the student and at the same time it will equate the course time with any engineering course. The cutoff of DU is rising day-by-day and it his hard to get admission among top colleges. In that case, PU is a better option and hence I have opted for a course here.”
Dinesh is not the only student seeking admission at PU. Many other students have been thronging the university campus for admission after dropping DU as an option. Arts courses at PU are in special demand.
With the many student opting out from DU, the demand for hostel is also going to rise, said PU sources.
AS Ahluwalia, Dean Student welfare said, “This year PU has got tremendous response in its admission season. The four-year undergraduate course at DU can be one possible reason.”
He further added that, “PU has always strived to accommodate more and more students and provide them with healthy environment for studies. Though the hostel seats are based on merit basis we will try and keep the procedure transparent to avoid any altercation in the future as with rising number of students there is a high demand for hostel seats.”
Many students are of the view that extra one year that has been added to Delhi University undergraduate program is a burden on the student. All that matters is the degree and personal skills of a student that shapes their future.
Neha, a student from Sonipat seeking admission in PU said, “My parents were always wary about me taking admission in DU as they think the city is not safe for girls. For us time is of utmost important and hence I have decided to take admission in PU as it will save me a year and also Chandigarh is less expensive and more comfortable for students to reside.”
Delhi has been a centre for students aspiring for civil services but the recent achievement by the students of the city beautiful has encouraged many students to look for better options outside.
Manish Thakur, a student hailing from Bihar said, “After our senior secondary examination the most sorted after destination for studies was Delhi, as parents at my place think that it is a better place to prepare for competitive examination.”
He further added, “This one year extension is however an extra burden because it takes minimum one year to prepare for civil services and other competitive examinations. So with three-year under graduation one get more time to prepare and in the past few years the students from this area has performed well in the civil service which is why I choose PU as my first option for studies.”