Calcutta University (CU) is ready with the names of five city colleges that will be sent to the University Grants Commission (UGC) for an upgrade to centres of excellence.

The CU authorities will send the list to the UGC on November 30. The central body is expected to communicate its final decision in a couple of months, said a source in the university.

The UGC had written to the state government and various universities in Bengal expressing willingness to upgrade eight colleges to centres of excellence.

Sixteen colleges were recently shortlisted by CU for the upgrade. As directed by the UGC, the university will finally name only five colleges.

“Inspection of the 16 shortlisted colleges are complete. A final screening is on and we will send our report to the UGC by the weekend,” said Dhrubojyoti Chatterjee, the CU pro vice-chancellor (academic affairs).

Once the UGC receives the list, it will send a team of officials from Delhi for conducting the final round of inspection of the institutions.

“The final selection will depend on the observations of the UGC team,” said a senior official of the state higher education department.

The CU authorities shortlisted Lady Brabourne College, Bethune College, Maulana Azad College, Surendranath College, Basanti Devi College, Bagbazar Women’s College and St Paul’s College from the city proper.

From the southern city fringes, Barisha Vivekananda College for Women, Thakurpukur College and Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur, have made it to the shortlist.

From Howrah, Bijoy Krishna Girls’ College, Narasingha Dutta College, Uluberia College and the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandir, in Belur, are among the favourites.

Inspections for the upgrade were also held in two Hooghly colleges affiliated to the CU — Serampore College and Uttarpara Pearimohan College.