A year ago, it would have been unimaginable that cut-offs in Delhi University would skyrocket to 100% for some of the undergraduate courses! While DU has always been known for its high cut-offs, there are several other universities where the story is no different.
However, the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) aims to do away with the tyranny of the ever-rising cut-offs by introducing a Common Entrance Test for all the Central Universities in the country. NEP not only proposes a holistic approach in evaluating the students by giving them the option to select subjects based on their interest, but it also aims to simplify the process of admission to higher-education institutes.
To start with, there would be a Common Entrance Test for all the Central Universities, which would be conducted twice a year from 2022, but only once... 2021. While this might sound like a new concept to many, the fact is, there is already a Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET), which is conducted for the Central Universities established in or after 2009. As many as 14 of them already admit students based on their performance in the entrance test. The CUCET scores are also accepted by four state universities of the country.
The proposed CUCET aims to assess conceptual understanding and application of knowledge; and also, to lessen the burden of appearing in multiple tests.
CUCET stands for Central University Common Entrance Exam. CUCET exam is to be conducted by the National testing agency (NTA) for admission into UG courses across the country. This step is going to be a paradigm shift from the traditional college-wise entrance exams. In a nutshell CUCET Exam is going to be the entrance exam for admission into all the undergraduate courses offered by various central universities, and it is going to cover them all from Delhi University (DU) to Banaras Hindu University (BHU). However, admission into Engineering and Medical courses is to be held via JEE and NEET respectively.
Till 2020, the Central Universities—except for the 14 established in 2009 and after, and few others— have been admitting students to their undergraduate courses based on Class XII Board marks; resulting in tremendous mental pressure for students. With the ever-rising cut-offs, the best of the Central Universities (like the University of Delhi) was getting out of reach for many. Moreover, as there was no uniformity among the various examination Boards regarding syllabus and difficulty, students from some of the Boards got an undue advantage.
To overcome this issue, the Ministry of Education has decided that from the academic year 2021, CUCET will be a single entrance for admission to undergraduate courses offered by all the Central Universities.
| Level | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| UG | Candidates should have completed their class 12th with at least 50% There is a relaxation of 5% for SC/ST applicants. |
| PG | Candidates should have completed their graduation with at least 55%. There is a relaxation of 5% for SC/ST applicants. |
According to the recent guidelines by the Education Ministry following are the highlights of CUCET Exam 2021
As per the guidelines given by the education ministry following inferences can be made about the shift in the CUCET 2021 pattern from that of CUCET 2020.
| CUCET 2020 | CUCET 2021 |
|---|---|
| 14 universities participated. | 54 central universities are proposed to be participating. |
| Jointly organised by the participating Universities. | Would be organised by NTA (National testing agency) |
| Admissions to UG as well as PG courses. | Admissions only to UG courses. |
| Admissions Engineering and Medical courses. | Proposed admission only to non-engineering and medical courses. |
| Offline mode. | Online mode. |
| Only marks obtained in the entrance exam will be considered for the merit list. | Different weightage given to both marks obtained in CUCET entrance and 12th class board exams. |
As of now there is no intimation from the ministry of education about the date of CUCET Exam. However, it is speculated that a notification about the same will be released by July'21.
In a move that could be a potential game changer for higher education in India, the government has recommended to conduct a Common Entrance Test (CUCET) for the 54 Central Universities from the academic session 2021-2022.
CUCET has a provision for negative marking. So, it is imperative that a candidate is careful about the risks involved, and refrain from making too many guesses.
The exact marking scheme for CUCET 2021 will be known once the official notification is released.
CUCET UG syllabus mainly consist of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Give in the table below are some sub-topics that the candidates may focus on while preparing for CUCET 2021.
| Subject | Sub-topic |
|---|---|
| Physics | magnetics effect of current, heat & thermodynamics, waves, current electricity, motion in one dimension, motion in two dimension, work, power & energy, etc. |
| Chemistry | redox reaction, general organic chemistry, catalysis, periodic table, electrochemistry, solid state & petroleum, etc. |
| Mathematics | trigonometry, algebra, dynamics & static, vector, co-ordinate geometry, probability, etc |
| Program | Syllabus |
|---|---|
| M.A | Culture & social change, growth & development, intelligence, current issue, personality, etc. |
| M.Ed. | Culture & social change, growth & development, intelligence, current issue, personality, etc. |
| LLM | Human rights law, constitution, labor law, law of evidence, etc. |
While CUCET 2020 was the gateway to 14 Central Universities, CUCET 2021 will open the doors for all the 54 Central Universities in the country. These Universities are likely to provide a minimum of 50% weightage to the CUCET score for admissions to their undergraduate courses. Hence, it is important that students focus on preparing well for the exam, so as to ensure a seat in a program and university of their choice.
CUCET is an exam which has shot into prominence with the announcement that all Central Universities will be accepting the CUCET Score. This means that some of the top universities in India will fall under the purview of CUCET which is likely to ratchet up the demand for the exam drastically.
Therefore, if you are looking for CUCET Coaching, look no further than EduX. EduX is a name synonymous with success in exam preparation and CUCET will be no different. The CUCET Exam is being conducted for admissions to Central Universities through a Common Entrance Test starting from 2021.
Our program for CUCET coaching is handled by our team of experts and experienced faculty members who have spent many years training students for various entrance exams.
CUCET Colleges are universities established under an Act of Parliament and are under the control and purview of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. In 2009, Parliament passed the Central Universities Act, which paved the way for creation of 16 Central Universities in addition to the existing ones, to give representation to all states. Accordingly, all the Central Universities are now governed by the Central Universities Act, 2009.
As of June 2020, there are 54 CUCET Colleges providing technical and non-technical programs to young minds.
| University | State | Location | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Delhi | Delhi | New Delhi | 1922 |
| Banaras Hindu University | Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | 1916 |
| Jamia Millia Islamia | Delhi | New Delhi | 1920 (1988) |
| Aligarh Muslim University | Uttar Pradesh | Aligarh | 1920 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru University | Delhi | New Delhi | 1969 |
| University of Allahabad | Uttar Pradesh | Prayagraj | 1887 (2005) |
| Tezpur University | Assam | Tezpur | 1994 |
| University of Hyderabad | Telangana | Hyderabad | 1974 |
| Visva-Bharati University | West Bengal | Shantiniketan | 1921 |
| Central University of Punjab | Punjab | Bathinda | 2009 |
| English and Foreign Languages University | Telangana | Hyderabad | 1958 (2007) |
| Tripura University | Tripura | Agartala | 1987 |
| Assam University | Assam | Silchar | 1994 |
| Pondicherry University | Puducherry | Pondicherry | 1985 |
| Sikkim University | Sikkim | Gangtok | 2007 |
| Manipur University | Manipur | Imphal | 1980 (2005) |
| North Eastern Hill University | Meghalaya | Shillong | 1973 |
| Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University | Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow | 1996 |
| Dr. Hari Singh Gour University | Madhya Pradesh | Sagar | 1946(2009) |
| Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University | Uttarakhand | Srinagar | 1973(2009) |
| Mizoram University | Mizoram | Aizawl | 2000 |
| Nagaland University | Nagaland | Lumami | 1994 |
| Indira Gandhi National Open University | Delhi | New Delhi | 1985 |
| Central Agricultural University | Manipur | Imphal | 1993 |
| Central Sanskrit University | Delhi | New Delhi | 1970(2020) |
| Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh | Andhra Pradesh | Vizianagaram | 2019 |
| Central University of Andhra Pradesh | Andhra Pradesh | Anantapur | 2019 |
| Central University of Gujarat | Gujarat | Gandhinagar | 2009 |
| Indian Maritime University | Tamil Nadu | Chennai | 2008 |
| Central University of Haryana | Haryana | Mahendragarh | 2009 |
| Central University of Himachal Pradesh | Himachal Pradesh | Dharamsala | 2009 |
| Central University of Jammu | Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu | 2011 |
| Central University of Jharkhand | Jharkhand | Ranchi | 2009 |
| Central University of Karnataka | Karnataka | Kalaburagi | 2009 |
| Central University of Kashmir | Jammu and Kashmir | Srinagar | 2009 |
| Central University of Kerala | Kerala | Kasaragod | 2009 |
| Central University of Odisha | Odisha | Koraput | 2009 |
| Central University of Rajasthan | Rajasthan | Ajmer | 2009 |
| Central University of South Bihar | Bihar | Gaya | 2009 |
| Central University of Tamil Nadu | Tamil Nadu | Tiruvarur | 2009 |
| Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University | Bihar | Samastipur | 1905(2016) |
| Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya | Chhattisgarh | Bilaspur | 1983 (2009) |
| Indira Gandhi National Tribal University | Madhya Pradesh | Amarkantak | 2007 |
| Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya | Maharashtra | Wardha | 1997 |
| Mahatma Gandhi Central University | Bihar | Motihari | 2016 |
| Maulana Azad National Urdu University | Telangana | Hyderabad | 1998 |
| Nalanda University | Bihar | Rajgir, Nalanda | 2010 |
| National Sanskrit University | Andhra Pradesh | Tirupati | 1956 (2020) |
| National Sports University | Manipur | Imphal | 2018 |
| Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University | Uttar Pradesh | Raebareli | 2013 |
| Rajiv Gandhi University | Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar | 1985(2007) |
| Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University | Uttar Pradesh | Jhansi | 2014 |
| Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University | Delhi | New Delhi | 1962(2020) |
| South Asian University | Delhi | New Delhi | 2010 |
The 54 Central Universities together offer close to 1.68 Lac seats under various disciplines at undergraduate level. The admissions to most universities are done based on merit (class XII marks) except for a few of them which conduct separate entrance test for admissions to the programs offered, all or few of them. However, 14 of the Central Universities, the ones established after 2009, currently conduct a Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) for admissions to various disciplines at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) is currently conducted by 14 Central Universities and 4 State Universities. The exam is conducted in offline mode. CUCET involves two Parts in offline mode:
The CUCET 2021 Syllabus is likely to consist of 4 aptitude based sections. These sections are: English Language, Numerical Ability, Logical & Analytical Reasoning, & General Awareness and Current Affairs. Apart from this, the CUCET 2021 Exam may also have a second paper which will consist of questions related to domain knowledge according to the course that you may have opted for. More specific information related to the CUCET 2021 Syllabus will be available when the notification is released in April 2021.