Former students and teachers of Presidency University’s celebrated physics department have expressed opposition to the department’s decision to admit undergraduate students based on Plus-II board scores.

Many said that the move could dilute the quality of student selection, and that a department-led admission test was the best way to identify bright candidates.

While nine other departments have decided to admit students through their own tests this year, the physics department chose to rely on board marks in physics and mathematics.

The Presidency Alumni Association, which met on Saturday, resolved to approach vice-chancellor Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty, urging him to persuade the department to reconsider.

Bivas Chaudhuri, vice-president of the alumni association, said the physics department, where legends like Jagadis Chandra Bose and Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri taught, has a long-standing legacy of conducting its own admission tests, and that practice must be resumed.

Chaudhuri added that many former teachers have also written to the alumni association, opposing the marks-based system.

Somak Raychaudhury, former head of the physics department and former dean of science at Presidency, said students should not be admitted based on Plus-II scores, as these “do not reflect a student’s aptitude for studying physics”.

“The Plus-II marks indicate general knowledge but cannot determine whether a student has the proficiency to pursue physics at Presidency,” he said.

Raychaudhury recalled his own experience: “I stood first in the higher secondary exams in 1980, but Presidency did not enrol me in the physics department based on my marks. I had to write an entrance test, which proved I had what it took to pursue physics there.”

Raychaudhury, who also had an opportunity to study at IIT Kanpur, said he chose Presidency because the physics department had set a bar for itself, attracting five among the 20 toppers from the state boards in 1980. “One reason the bar was so high was the department’s rigorous entrance test,” he said.

"I respect the autonomy of the department to decide how it will be run, and these are my opinions,” Raychaudhury added.

Another former student said it was “unfortunate” that the physics department
abandoned its independent
admission test.

Calls and text messages to the department head, Muktish Acharyya, received no response.

A faculty member, however, cited logistical challenges. “We have 20 posts but only 11 teachers. With half the strength, it is difficult to conduct admission tests and evaluate answer scripts. Besides, we do not think student quality would improve if a test were held. But we are open to suggestions,” the professor said.

On December 7, Presidency University resolved to conduct its own undergraduate admissions independently, ending a decade-long arrangement with the state JEE board.

All 16 departments informed the admissions committee that they preferred either department-led tests or admission based on board scores. Until 2015, Presidency conducted its own entrance exams, a system many academics considered effective in identifying bright students. The JEE-based system was introduced to reach a wider pool of applicants across multiple cities.

The physics department’s decision not to resume tests has sparked debate due to the department’s rich heritage, alumni members said.

Sutirtha Bhattacharya, president of the alumni association and former managing director of Coal India, who graduated from the physics department in 1977, expressed disappointment: “When nine other departments have decided to hold admission tests, why did the physics department find it difficult to do the same?”