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Many traditional courses see a dip in cut-off at colleges affiliated to MU in first merit list

This year, many courses have seen a considerable dip in cut-off scores, especially traditional degree courses such as BA, BCom and BSc. City colleges have seen increased interest for new-age professional courses launched recently.

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Commenting specifically on the lowered cut-offs for science courses, Dr. Lokur added, "Science students often prioritize preparation for medical and engineering entrance exams until Class 12, which tends to impact their board exam scores. This naturally reflects in the cut-off trends for science courses."

The first merit list of undergraduate (UG) degree courses was declared by colleges affiliated to Mumbai University on Tuesday.

This year, many courses have seen a considerable dip in cut-off scores, especially traditional degree courses such as BA, BCom and BSc. City colleges have seen increased interest for new-age professional courses launched recently.

At St. Xavier’s College, which is among the most popular for Arts, the first merit list cut-off for this year is 90 per cent which is a considerable drop from last year’s 92.33 percent. A similar situation has occurred at Ramnarain ruia College too, where the cut-off score for the first merit list of Arts has dropped from 92 per cent to 90 percent. Ruia College has seen a drop in cut-off score in B.Sc as well as in Biochemistry, whereas cut-off for Biotechnology has increased from 92.2 per cent to 94.6 per cent.

Highlighting the various factors contributing to the drop in cut-off scores this year, Dr. Anushree Lokur, Principal of Ramnarain Ruia College, said, “Students today have a wide array of choices, with private universities and other institutions offering both conventional and new-age professional courses. This results in a diversion of high-ranking students. Nevertheless, courses such as BA in Psychology and Biotechnology continue to attract many top scorers.”

Commenting specifically on the lowered cut-offs for science courses, Dr. Lokur added, “Science students often prioritize preparation for medical and engineering entrance exams until Class 12, which tends to impact their board exam scores. This naturally reflects in the cut-off trends for science courses.”

Principal of Mithibai College Dr. Krutika Desai echoed similar observations, noting a consistent preference for professional over traditional courses such as BA or BCom.

“Interestingly, even within professional programmes, emerging fields are gaining popularity, causing a further split in high-achieving applicants. For instance, the cut-off for B.Sc in Applied Statistics and Data Analytics has increased compared to last year, which was only the second year of the course. With increased awareness of new courses, students are more inclined to explore newer options,” said Dr Desai.

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This year, MithibaiCollege has introduced a four-year BSc in Health Sciences, which will offer four innovative specializations in the final two years.

Pallavi Smart

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