Mumbai: Students who are applying for admissions to degree colleges are in a fix owing to higher cut off marks for courses this year.
The first merit list for degree courses was declared on Monday. The cut off marks for courses in demand in some well-known colleges does not make for cheerful reading.
This year, the cut off for Ba-chelor of Commerce course in HR College, Churchgate, is 96 per cent. As against this, last year, the cut off was 95 per cent.
At KC College, Churchgate, the cut off for Bachelor of Arts (BA) has risen from 92 per cent to 93 per cent. Likewise, the cut off at Ruparel College, Matunga, has increased by one per cent compared that last year.
Students claim the rise in cut off marks has made tough the task of securing admissions. Nitin Pawar, a student, said, "The cut off marks have increased by one or two per cent this year; and that makes a lot of difference to us.
We have secured lower scores compared to that last year in our Class 12 examinations. But if cut off marks are higher, we will not be able to secure seats in well-known colleges. We will have to wait for the second merit list."
As the demand for the Science stream has diminished in the last few years, the cut off marks have dipped this year. The cut off for Bachelor of Science (BSc) is 86.31 per cent at Ramnarain Ruia College, Matunga, while it is 70 per cent at Jai Hind College, Churchgate, and Wilson College, Charni Road.
At St Xavier's College, Fort, the cut off for science stood at 77 per cent for general (Biology). Hetal Mehta, a student, said, "We do not want to pursue Science as there is limited scope.
The cut offs are much lower for FYBSc because the demand is low and there are very few students seeking admissions. The trend is changing as we are keen on pursuing other courses which are creative.
In addition, the cut off marks for self-financed courses have increased. The cut off for Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) is 91.17 per cent for Arts at Mithibai College, Vile Parle, while it is 93 per cent for Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM) at Wilson College.
Rhea Jhunjhunwala, a student, said, "We prefer to study self-financed courses rather than the usual science, commerce or arts. These courses provide us flexibility and multiple career options."
By Ronald Rodrigues
