Is DU’s Mop-Up Round More Than a Fix? University Academics questions CUET-UG, CSAS Admission process

Critics point out that DU’s reliance on CUET has stripped colleges of autonomy and accountability.

DU has announced registration for UG Spot admission rounds

The University of Delhi (DU) which was known for completing undergraduate admissions on time, its academic calendar running like clockwork for decades with courses B.Com, B.Sc getting filled at colleges in the first cut-off round itself. Today, the same university finds itself compelled to organise what it calls an On-the-Spot Mop-Up Round, an awkward name for an even more awkward exercise.

Thousands of vacant seats remain unfilled even though the semester is halfway through. As per reports, more than 9000 seats are vacant at various affiliated colleges of Delhi University even after CSAS Rounds, which is, based on CUET-UG 2025 score, and holding several mop-up rounds.

Delhi University is now inviting students for a physical admission drive at the Multipurpose Hall in North Campus, where colleges will attempt to fill more than 9,000 seats. Crucially, this time the selection will be based on Class XII marks, not CUET scores, effectively side-lining the very system that was meant to standardise admissions across central universities.

According to the official notice, registrations for the mop-up round are open from September 17 (5 PM) to September 19 (11:59 PM). Shortlisted candidates will be invited to report physically to the university from September 23 onwards, carrying original documents and paying the admission fee immediately to secure their place.

As reported earlier by Shiksha, Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh had defended the need for such measures, saying colleges must “conduct open spot admissions” to ensure no seats go waste.

DU Teachers’ Outrage

The latest directive on spot admission has triggered sharp backlash from faculty members, who view it as an admission of systemic failure.

“The latest directive from DU regarding UG On-the-Spot Mop-Up admissions shows total failure of CUET-CSAS admission process in DU. Almost half of the semester has gone by and yet many colleges are still not able to fill up their seats. Now colleges have to assemble in the Multi-purpose hall — akin to setting up stalls for customers. It is a very pitiable situation for a premier University like DU,” said Abha Dev Habib, Secretary, Delhi Teachers’ Forum (DTF).

Mithuraaj Dhusiya, elected member of DU’s Executive Council, was equally blunt: “DU has to resort to the erstwhile method of Class XII marks as CUET has not been able to fill the 9,000+ seats still vacant. This is the fourth year in succession that the admission process in DU got disrupted and delayed by the mess called CUET. The entire process lacks transparency as colleges have no idea how students are allotted.”

For Rudrashish Chakraborty, Associate Professor at Kirori Mal College, the situation is a “monumental blunder”: “The Vice Chancellor and his team must accept moral responsibility for tarnishing the University’s image with an admission process that has become a joke.”

From Legacy to Crisis, CSAS to Spot Admission Round

Critics point out that DU’s reliance on CUET has stripped colleges of autonomy and accountability. Once celebrated for its efficient and transparent admission processes, the university has been reduced to last-minute fixes and physical fairs.

The irony is unmistakable: a premier central university, which could once conclude admissions smoothly year after year, is now going back to the same Class XII mark-based system that CUET was supposed to replace.

Last year also seats at some of the colleges remained vacant, the mop-up round may temporarily plug this year’s gap, but the larger issues remain unresolved. If DU, the most sought after central university in the country, cannot fill its seats after four years of CUET, what hope do smaller institutions have?

For many of the teachers, this is not just a DU problem but a systematic attack on public-funded universities. They argue that centralisation has weakened academic structures, disrupted calendars, and tarnished reputations.

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