The countdown to admissions into over 54,000 undergraduate seats of the coveted Delhi University has started.

To discourage applications through physical admission forms, the online registration will begin a week ahead from May 28, while the offline ones will be sold only from June 5.

The varsity is expecting over 3 lakh application this year, compared to 2.7 lakh in 2014.

Starting this year, DU colleges will now be mandated to enroll all the students meeting their cut-off criteria and there will be no first-come, first-served policy.

"Earlier, if 100 students matched the cut-off, only the ones who could get themselves enrolled on the given number of seats would be given admissions, while the rest would be turned down," said J.M. Khurana, the dean (students' welfare), DU. "This practice will be done away with from this year," he said.

This year, students will be given three days to complete the admission formalities after the cut-offs are declared. There is a gap of one to two days between declaration of successive cut-off lists. This gap has been given for the colleges to send data of the seats filled to the university and upload it on the website.

The "best four" policy to calculate cut-off is also being simplified, authorities said. It will include one language, two academic or elective subjects and the subject in which admission is being sought.

"In case the student is not including in the best four percentages the subject in which admission is being sought, he or she will face a deduction of 2.5 per cent," Khurana said.

Prospective students are also being advised to be "prompt" in making choice of college and subjects.

"Students need to remember that because of certain circumstances if they are unable to take admission in a cut-off list even after qualifying, they would be considered in the next list only on the last date of admission on the availability of seats," said Malay Neerav, the joint dean of students' welfare and media co-ordinator of the varsity.

Bringing widespread relief among students, no college can impose the "additional eligibility criteria".

The additional relaxation can only be provided to girl students up to 3 per cent, but interested colleges will have to notify the same to the university.

One of the most prestigious institutions of the country, St Stephen's College, is set to introduce an entrance test as part of its admission process for the upcoming academic session.

While DU every year notifies the admission guidelines for its colleges, minority institutions affiliated with it such as St Stephen's and Jesus and Mary College have their separate admission rules.

Stephen's enrols students on the basis of a personal interview and cut-offs. "It has been decided that a half-an-hour-long written test will also be included in the admission criteria from this year onwards," a college professor told The Telegraph.

However, no decision has been taken on whether the test would be based on aptitude or it would be subject-related.

"At present, the best-of-four percentage has 85 per cent weightage, while 15 per cent marks are for personal interview. The weightage for the written test will be included in that 15 per cent," she said.

The college offers honours courses in economics, English, history, philosophy, Sanskrit, mathematics, chemistry, along with the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) pass courses.