The second batch of the Central University of Bihar (CUB), the upcoming campus of which has been a bone of contention between the state and the Centre, has defied all odds to grab jobs and seats in premier institutions.

The results of six courses being taught in CUB from 2010 will be declared in a week. However, even before the results are declared, many students of the institute have been placed and even larger number of them has been selected in premier institutions for higher studies.

CUB registrar Mohammed Nehal said: “This year, three students of CUB from the environmental science stream have been selected in University Grants Commission (UGC) – National Eligibility Test (NET). The selected students are the only ones in environmental science, who have qualified for the UGC-NET from Bihar, the result of which was declared on June 15.”

Apart from opting for higher studies, there are students who have bagged jobs in non-government organisations (NGOs) and government agencies (See chart).

Four students from the development studies stream — the first course with which the CUB started functioning in 2009 — have got placement in NGOs and government agencies.

Nehal added: “The number of students getting jobs and offers for higher studies will be higher in the coming days as the results of 2010-12 session are yet to be declared.”

He said previous year, 18 students from the first batch were placed in various companies and institutions.

Out of 25 students in the first batch of development studies, 18 were placed despite the university lacking a full-fledged placement cell, Nehal added.

Apart from students cracking the UGC-NET, many CUB students have qualified for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Calcutta, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Calcutta, and other central universities for higher studies like PhD.

Environmental science is one of the courses from where maximum number of students has been selected for higher studies.

Students have been selected for Pondicherry University, Central University of Gujarat, Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad, among others.

Similarly, a large number of students from biotechnology and computer science department has cracked this year’s GATE.

Aditya Kumar, a computer science student, who had cleared GATE, said: “Four students from our batch have qualified for the GATE. Though the number is small, it is an achievement for the students as well as the faculty.”

Aditya added: “Apart from the four students qualifying the GATE, two from our batch have secured second position in Central Universities Common Entrance Test (Cucet-2012) for admission to MTech course.”

He said the performance of the students would have been better if the institute had a permanent campus.

Aditya said: “The university is functioning from rented premises of Birla Institute of Technology, Patna. Because of this, there’s lack of lab facilities for computer science and biotechnology courses. Moreover, the library of the university is smaller compared to the standards of a central university.”

CUB started functioning from BIT, Patna, campus with a two-year masters programme in development studies in 2009. Thereafter, successive departments were added with seven new courses starting from the next session raising the total number of courses to 16.

With the new courses, the students’ intake will go up to 315 from the existing 148.

Recently, the university had announced recruitment of 79 teachers in various capacities.