Bhubaneswar, June 16: Admissions to junior colleges began in the state today with about 40,000 students taking admission on the first day.

There are around 4,20,697 seats available apart from 11,089 seats in vocational streams. A number of SAMS or Students Academic Management System resource centres have been set up by the government across the state to facilitate the admission process.

Students were excited to start a new phase in their life. "I am very happy that everything went smoothly. I am looking forward to joining college," said Manisha Jena.

Besides, the state clarified earlier that income certificate of parents was not mandatory while submitting the common application form. It will be required to apply for scholarships and students who are unable to submit the certificate during the admission can provide the same by July 9.

The second round selection merit list will be published on June 22 followed by admission from June 24 to 28. The third round selection list will be published on July 3 followed by admission on July 5 and 6. The classes for Plus Two students will begin from July 6 this year.

"In the first selection, about 3,22,167 candidates have been notified. Students can check the status of their application through SMS, e-mail or they can also call up the helpline number," said Mihir Das, officer in charge of the performance tracking cell of the higher education department.

The first selection list for admission to junior colleges of the state was published on June 13.

This year, Ravenshaw Junior College has emerged as the most sought-after college with the highest cut-off percentage of 93.17 per cent in the science stream. In the commerce stream, BJB Junior College has maintained its dominance over other colleges with a cut-off of 83.6 per cent while Ravenshaw comes second with 80.67 per cent. The highest cut-off of 80 per cent in arts has been announced by Patita Paban College at Sainkula in Keonjhar.