Some of the students who passed the Part I exams from city colleges that do not offer general degree courses face the grim prospect of losing a year.

According to the rules Calcutta University introduced last year, the honours students who score between 25 and 35 per cent in two papers in Part I will not be eligible to sit for the Part II honours exams. They will have to appear in the Part II general exams.

Students scoring less than 25 per cent in the honours papers are declared failed.

Colleges like Presidency, Goenka, Bethune, Brabourne and Scottish Church offer only honours courses in arts and science.

Following the announcement of the results of the BA-B.Sc Part I and II (both honours and general) on Wednesday, the university authorities have come to know that several students from some of these colleges have scored less than 35 per cent.

These students can take the Part II test as general students as they have scored more than 25 per cent, but their colleges do not offer such courses.

“The students have two options,” said a teacher of Scottish Church College. “They will have to either shift to another college which offers general courses or seek special permission from the university to reappear in the Part I honours exams next year from our college.” The second option, if the university approves it, will mean loss of a year.

The students who have scored between 25 and 35 per cent, however, have demanded that the university take steps to ensure they do not lose a year.

“I fell ill before the Part I exams and scored below 30 per cent. Since I don’t want to lose a year, I will have to take admission in another college which is going to be difficult,” said a B.Sc student who did not want to be named. Dhrubojyoti Chatterjee, the pro vice-chancellor (academic) of the university, said: “We will definitely find a solution to the problem.”