Bhubaneswar, June 22: The cut-off marks for the second selection list for admission into Plus Two colleges was announced today.

The marks have been uploaded on the higher education department website www.dheodisha.gov.in.

More than 1,75,000 seats are lying vacant at various colleges in the science stream after the first phase of admissions concluded this week. A number of colleges have reported zero admission.

Ravenshaw Junior College in Cuttack has put up the highest cut-off rate at 91.33 per cent in science stream followed by BJB College in Bhubaneswar with 91.20 per cent.

In other popular colleges, the cut-off per cent for science dipped by three to five per cent in the second merit list.

In the arts stream, Patita Paban College in Keonjhar, which had the highest cut-off rate at 80 per cent in first phase, has sought 79.33 per cent for admission this time. The BJB College has kept the cut-off per cent at 74.67 per cent followed by Ravenshaw Junior College at 73 per cent.

In the commerce stream, the BJB Junior College maintained its dominance over other colleges with a cut-off of 81 per cent followed by Ravenshaw Junior College with 77.9 per cent.

Selected candidates will have to take admission from June 24 to 28. They have already been informed through e-mails and text messages.

"It is mandatory for the students who qualified for the second selection to take admission in the respective colleges. Failing which, they will be debarred from taking admission in any other college in this academic session," said officer in charge of admissions Mihir Kumar Das.

The same was applicable to those whose names had features in the first selection list of candidates.

Altogether, 2,72,518 students took part in the admission process in the first phase. Last year, around 74,232 seats were lying vacant after the final round of admission.

Educationists feel so many seats are lying vacant over the years because students are getting diverted towards Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), diplomas, skill training and vocational courses instead of regular Plus Two courses. Many blame it on the mushrooming of too many private colleges.

The third 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.