New Delhi: The race for a seat in Delhi University is set to begin after the Common University Entrance Test for Undergraduate admissions (CUET-UG) results were declared Tuesday, kicking off the admission season for lakhs of students seeking entry into one of the country’s most sought-after universities.University officials said admissions to more than 71,000 undergraduate seats across over 70 colleges will begin in a week through the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) portal, which will be opened for the 2026-27 session. The university will also hold online orientation sessions to help students navigate the process.Once the portal opens, candidates will have to register, upload the required documents and fill in their preferred programmes and colleges.Admissions will be based on CUET scores, programme-specific eligibility criteria and the preferences submitted by applicants. All stages of the admission process will be online.University officials said improvements are being considered to make the admission process more student-friendly. Changes in programme combinations, particularly for BA courses, are under consideration to improve seat optimisation and reduce vacancies in later rounds.Like previous years, DU is expected to allocate seats above the sanctioned intake in several categories to ensure that vacancies arising from withdrawals can be filled up. The university also offers a range of supernumerary seats, including for single girl children, orphans, children of armed forces personnel, persons with disabilities, Kashmiri migrants and sports and extracurricular achievers, among others.One supernumerary seat for a single girl child is available in every undergraduate programme and college.For students, the most crucial stage of the admission process is preference filling. Experts and university officials advise candidates to carefully prepare their list of programmes and colleges before submitting it, as seat allocation is driven by these preferences.Students are encouraged to place their dream course and college combinations higher on the list, followed by realistic options. A poorly thought-out preference order can significantly affect the allocation outcome.After each allocation round, candidates can either accept the allotted seat and complete admission formalities or opt for an upgrade in subsequent rounds if the option is available.Those accepting seats must complete document verification and fee payment within the set deadlines. Missing these can result in cancellation of the seat. Candidates who do not secure a seat in the initial rounds will continue to be considered in subsequent allocation rounds, subject to availability.Delhi University is not the only option opening up for CUET candidates. Admissions to undergraduate programmes at Jawaharlal Nehru University are also expected to begin shortly through CUET scores. JNU offers BA (Hons.) programmes in foreign languages such as French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Persian and Pashto, besides science and integrated programmes.At Jamia Millia Islamia, admissions for programmes that accept CUET scores are also expected to commence soon, with the university likely to release detailed admission schedules and programme-wise requirements separately.Several other institutions have already opened or are preparing to open admissions through CUET scores. These include Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Ambedkar University Delhi.
