Nearly 1.6 mn students register for CUET-UG, highest for DU: UGC chairman

UGC chairman also stated that there has been an increase in the number of universities participating after a 41 per cent increase in the total number of students was reported

The National Testing Agency (NTA) on December 15, 2022, announced the schedule for Common University Entrance Test- Undergraduate (CUET-UG). This is the second year that the NTA will be organising CUET exams for admission into colleges in undergraduate courses.

The application process started on February 9, 2023, and the last date for applying was extended from March 12 to March 30, 2023.

In 2022, the University Grants Commission's (UGC) debut year of CUET-UG introduction, 1.25 million students registered, and 990,000 students submitted their applications, UGC Chairman Prof. M Jagadesh Kumar said in a statement. He further added that in 2023, a total of 1.6 million students registered for the upcoming examination. Out of 1.6 million students, 1.39 million students have paid their application fees, which was an increase of 400k students.

Kumar also stated that there has been an increase in the number of universities participating after a 41 per cent increase in the total number of students was reported. In 2022, a total of 90 universities participated, however, in 2023, the number has gone up to nearly 242.

The top three states from which the largest number of students will appear in CUET-UG 2023 are Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Bihar. The same three states were the top three states in 2022 too. The maximum number of applications for CUET-UG have been received for Delhi University, followed by Banaras Hindu University and Allahabad University.

There is a considerable jump in the number of students from the Jammu and Kashmir region. In 2022, a total of 13,021 students took CUET-UG from this region. But in 2023, this number is 82,655 representing an increase of 6.3 times.

Last year students from 59 countries submitted their applications for CUET-UG. In 2023, this number increased to 74 countries with 1,000 students spread across Europe, Asia, America, and Gulf countries," Kumar said.