After weeks of uncertainty due to a legal deadlock over OBC reservations, the West Bengal Department of Higher Education has finally published the first phase merit list for the West Bengal Centralised Admission Process (WB CAP) 2025. Applicants can now access the merit list through the official website at wbcap.in, by checking their dashboard with their login credentials.
Education Minister Bratya Basu announced the release on his official X handle, noting the relief it brought to students, parents, and institutions. “The first merit list was published today on the central online admission portal for undergraduate level. We, like students and guardians, were deeply concerned as the publication of the merit list was delayed due to legal complications,” he wrote.
According to the West Bengal Higher Education Department, 3,09,667 valid applicants have been allotted 4,02,557 seats across 7,232 subjects in 460 colleges under 17 universities. Admissions against this list are already underway and will continue until August 25, upon payment of the requisite fees. Physical verification of documents at the institution level is scheduled between August 23 and 27. Meanwhile, classes, originally slated to start on August 1, will now commence on August 29.
This year, a total of 3,59,768 students registered on the WBCAP portal, out of which 50,101 applications were declared invalid due to incomplete or false submissions. The centralised admission system, launched on June 17, marks a crucial reform to streamline higher education admissions across the state.
As per the revised schedule, an upgrade round under Phase I will run from August 31 to September 3, with verification slated for September 4, 6, 8, and 9. The mop-up round (Phase II) begins on September 10, with fresh applications accepted until September 13. Merit and allocation lists for this phase will be released on September 16, followed by admissions on September 16-17. A final upgrade round will be held between September 21 and 23, with verification from September 23 to 25.