Quota advantage for university ‘insiders’

Aspirants whose parents or at least one parent is employed by a Delhi University college have a certain advantage over their counterparts while getting admission in the varsity.

This is because of the fact that the university reserves seats for such aspirants under the staff quota/ward quota. The seats assigned to this quota are over and above the total sanctioned strength in the college.

Several colleges admits wards of DU staff under this quota, which was approved by the Academic Council many years ago, said a DU official.

According to Pradyumn Kumar, principal, Hindu College, the ward quota admissions are done by the Central Admission Committee of the college and a least differential system is followed by the college for the wards of staff members of other colleges. "According to this system the student with a percentage closest to the cut-off is chosen for admission," he said.

Gitesh Nirban, Media coordinator, Kamla Nehru College said that the the ward quota admissions depend upon the availability of seats and are done only after the second or the third cut-off list is out.

In most colleges, aspirants are required to submit copies of the Class 12 marksheet and common pre-admission form and a letter from the principal of the college certifying that the parent is a staff member of the college.

The University has separate quotas for SC/ST and OBC students. The disabled are also offered seats under a separate quota. Several colleges reserve seats under sports and extra-curricular quota also for students excelling in one or the other discipline.