Bhubaneswar, March 12: Authorities are apprehensive about getting enough students for ayurvedic and homeopathy colleges in the state despite overwhelming response to the online application system of the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE)-2013.

For the first time, the bachelor in ayurvedic medicine and surgery and bachelor in homeopathic medicine and surgery courses have been included under the OJEE. Until last year, admissions into these courses were done directly at the college level.

There are four ayurvedic colleges and five homeopathy colleges in the state with a combined number of around 900 seats.

With little effort on the part of the colleges and the Ayush department about the new admission process, most students continue to be unaware of the courses. “The colleges must try to spread information to the students at their level,” a senior official in the department said. Over 90,000 students have already registered with the OJEE.

“A record number of candidates have registered for the entrance exam, proving the popularity of the online mode. We have received 90,000-odd applications and are expecting some more,” said OJEE secretary Priyabrata Sahoo said.

Registrations for the entrance began on February 13. “The good news is that we are getting huge response from outside the state from states such as such as Bihar and Jharkhand and cities such as Bangalore. Many registrations are also being done by students from Malkangiri and Koraput,” he said.

Authorities also very few calls were being made on their helpline. “The number of calls are negligible suggesting that the software is hassle-free,” Sahoo said.

The last day of online submission and registration is March 20.