Calcutta and Jadavpur universities on Thursday announced the eligibility criteria for students seeking admission in undergraduate courses.

Those willing to enrol with any of the affiliated colleges of Calcutta University (CU) will have to mention the marks of the “best four Plus II subjects” — instead of five, as was the practice — in the application form. Each of the subjects should be of 100 marks.

Passing in English — of 100 marks — is also a must for the candidates.

Students who want to study honours will have to pick a subject among the best four.

The university announced that those applying for an honours course in science, arts or commerce cannot include environment education among the best four subjects. But there is no such bar on candidates applying for a general degree (pass) course.

The minimum cut-off marks for admission remain the same as last year. The colleges have been given the liberty to raise the cut-off.

According to the minimum cut-off criteria, a student from any board has to score 45 per cent in the subject in which he/she wants to study honours and 50 per cent in the aggregate. If the aggregate is less than 50 per cent, the score in the honours subject has to be at least 55 per cent.

But no matter how high the aggregate is, a student will not be allowed to study honours in a subject if he/she has scored less than 45 per cent in it.

“We are sending a circular to the colleges in advance so there is no confusion during the compilation of the merit list,” said a member of CU’s the university’s undergraduate council.

Jadavpur University (JU), on the other hand, has set different criteria for students from various boards. Those from the Higher Secondary board will have to state the marks of “best five subjects”, excluding environment education. Those from CBSE, too, will have to mention the scores in the “best five” subjects. But since the board awards only grades in environment education, there is no question of the students including the subject among the best five.

For ISC students, the marks of the “best four” subjects, including environment education, will do. “The subject, unlike in the HS board, carries 100 marks for ISC students. So, they have been allowed to include it among the best four,” said a university official.

“We have stuck to the practice of considering the best five subjects for HS and CBSE students and the best four for ISC students,” said a JU official.