June 26: Cotton College and Gauhati Commerce College, two of the most sought after colleges in the state, have declared a stiff cut-off mark for admission into their higher secondary courses.
The list released by Cotton College shows the higher secondary (first year) cut-off mark for science standing at 511 (85.16 per cent) for the first shift and 501 (83.5 per cent) for the second shift for general students, an increase by over 2 per cent over last year respectively.
The cut-off for the 30 per cent reserved seats in the first shift stands at 492 (Other Backward Classes), 468 (Scheduled Tribe-Plains), 485 (Scheduled Caste) and 389 (Scheduled Tribe-Hills). For the second shift, the cut-off stands at 484, 457, 476 and 343 respectively.
As many as 350 and 150 seats are up for grabs in both the shifts, including the 30 per cent reserved seats.
In arts, though the cut-off for general category (430) has dropped slightly this year by over 1 per cent than that of last year (438), there has been a rise in the cut-off for seats under the reserved categories. The cut off for OBC is 400, ST-P 385, SC 403, ST-H 370. Last year’s figures in the categories were 380, 381, 397 and 352 respectively.
The college, which did not have a single topper in this year’s arts finals, will absorb 160 students.
Making it to the commerce college, which is offering 450 seats, has also become difficult this year. The cut-off for general students stand at 418 (69.5), up by around 5 per cent over last year. Under the reserved categories, it stands at 369 (OBC), 360 (SC), 288 (ST-P) and 260 (ST-H). The cut-off for the 15 per cent of the total seats reserved for those passing out from CBSE-affiliated schools is 420 (70 per cent).
Though the respective colleges are happy for being able to attract the best, they nevertheless feel that some good students will miss out for lack of seats, which they cannot increase given existing constraints.
Cotton College principal Udayaditya Bharali said with the Board of Secondary Education, Assam, going the CBSE way vis-?-vis setting and evaluation of papers, competition for seats will only increase in the coming years.
“It will be extremely difficult making it to Cotton. This trend is evident everywhere. The actual cut-off will become clear only on the day of admission, but I don’t think there will be any significant change on what we have announced,” Bharali said. Admission to Cotton College will be held on July 8, 9 and 11 (arts).
It had received around 3,000 applicants for science and 1,500 for arts seats. Five seats each have been reserved under the sports and culture quota.
Similar were the views of Ghanashyam Nath, principal of the commerce college. “This is the first time that the cut-off has touched 70 per cent. There was a time when a first division would be enough for a seat in commerce. Now those with even 70 per cent are not sure whether they are eligible or not.”
There were 1,356 applicants for the 450 seats, admission to which will be held tomorrow. Five seats each have been reserved for music and sports.
