The colleges affiliated to Calcutta University (CU) that had applied for autonomy are now having second thoughts.

Before finalising their stand, the colleges want the university to spell out the criteria for admitting students from autonomous institutions in postgraduate courses.

Five per cent of the seats in CU’s undergraduate courses are set apart for students from other universities.

The colleges fear that students from autonomous institutions will be clubbed with those from other universities and will have to vie for the handful of reserved seats.

An autonomous college under CU awards degrees independently, though the marksheets and certificates also bear the stamp of Calcutta University.

“This is not right time to seek autonomy,” said D. Kundu, the bursar of Scottish Church College, which had applied for the status.

The first batch from St Xavier’s College since it started functioning as an autonomous institution in 2006 will pass out in 2009. “We will wait till then to see on what basis the university is admitting the students from that batch,” said Kundu.

St Xavier’s was the first college to be granted autonomous status.

An official of a south Calcutta college said: “We will run a number of postgraduate courses once we are given autonomy. But the number of such courses will be less than what CU offers. Our students will suffer if, like outsiders, they are declared eligible for only five per cent of postgraduate seats in CU.”

Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandir, Belur, is another college under CU that has adopted a wait-and-watch policy. “CU has upgraded the syllabus and also changed the exam system. We would like to see how the new system works before finalising our stand,” said principal Swami Tyagarupananda.

CU officials admitted to being in a dilemma over deciding the admission criteria of students from autonomous institutions.

“We will be doing injustice to students from our affiliated colleges if we treat them on a par with those from autonomous colleges. On the other hand, it would be wrong to treat students from autonomous colleges as outsiders, as the degrees will carry the stamp of Calcutta University,” said Suranjan Das, the pro vice-chancellor (academic) of the university.