At Central university, face HEAT,qualify FEAT and take TREAT

For admission to any undergradute (UG) programme,a candidate will have to fill up a single common form,indicating choices in the order of preference.

The meeting of the newly constituted Academic Council was held in New Delhi earlier this week and approved a new pattern of admissions to set multidisciplinary and higher standards of teachings.

The three common tests for admission to UG,postgraduate (PG) and research degree programmes have been named HEAT,FEAT and TREAT,respectively — a pattern followed by most world-class universities.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Furqan Qamar,who chaired the meeting,told The Indian Express that all applicants to UG programmes would be required to face the HEAT (Higher Education Aptitude Test),and the selection of students will be made strictly on the basis of scores. For admission at the postgraduate (PG) level,candidates will have to qualify the FEAT (Further Education Admission Test),and to get selected in MPhil and PhD programmes,applicants will have to take the TREAT (The Research Entrance Aptitude Test).

“The Central Universities Act 2009 mandates that universities will admit students from all over India on the basis of a common admission test,conducted individually or jointly,” he said.

Dr Qamar said the idea of an aptitude- based common entrance test to screen applicants for admission across board was mooted at a brainstorming workshop on “vision of the university” held at the Himachal Institute of Public Administration. The meeting was attended by directors and vice-chancellors of several institutes and universities.

The first meeting of the Executive Council is slated to be held at Dharamsala on July 24. Vibha Puri Das,Secretary,Higher Education,Ministry of Human Resource and Development,is expected to attend the meeting.