The state government has asked all government and government-aided colleges to submit subject-wise student enrolment data dating back to the 2011-12 academic session, when the Trinamool government came to power, ending the Left Front’s 34-year rule.
In a directive issued on Thursday, the joint director of public instruction asked college authorities to upload enrolment figures for the period from 2011-12 to 2025-26 on the Banglar Uchchashiksha portal.
Colleges have been instructed to provide detailed subject-wise data on sanctioned intake capacity and actual student enrolment over the years under the Trinamool Congress government.
The department has attached user manuals for the college heads’ reference. The data must be shared by June 8.
Sources said they wanted to understand whether there were enough candidates for college seats or whether more students were being admitted than the sanctioned intake.
“There are reports that a large number of undergraduate seats have been vacant in colleges over the past few years. The data we have sought will give us an idea of the subjects with the most vacancies. The data will also help us make a comparative study on admission patterns,” an official said.
“The data will help us frame policies, including seat rationalisation, based on the level of demand for different subjects,” the official said.
An education department official had told Metro in September 2025 that only 2.71 lakh students had secured admission through the state-run centralised admission portal, against the 9.4 lakh undergraduate seats available across Bengal.
Metro had also reported last year that even reputed institutions such as Lady Brabourne College were left with nearly half their seats vacant.
The admission scenario was so grim in 2024 that then education minister Bratya Basu said the department would review the number of undergraduate seats offered by government and aided colleges and assess the actual demand among prospective students.
“The review never materialised. Perhaps the new government is now serious about rationalising seats in line with actual demand,” said Pankaj Roy, principal of Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri College.
Many colleges affiliated to Calcutta University have applied for autonomy to the UGC so they can introduce courses which are in sync with the times.
Many students left Bengal to pursue undergraduate studies elsewhere over the past few years due to a lack of relevant courses.
The government will also check whether some of the colleges admitted students beyond their sanctioned intake.
Last year, allegations surfaced that students had been admitted to South Calcutta Law College beyond its capacity for money.