02-07-2025
College admissions: Subject combination a tough nut for city students to crack
As college admission season picks up pace, many students are grappling with confusion and frustration over the limited subject combinations available at government colleges. Despite securing high marks and qualifying on merit, several students say they are unable to find courses aligned with what they studied in school or wish to pursue, and feel compelled to settle for unwanted subjects. Students waiting for seat allotment for admission into the new academic session at Govt College for Girls in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Manish/Hindustan Times)
A student seeking admission at SCD Government College said that while the state's online admission portal lists all possible subject combinations, the ground reality is starkly different. 'When we visit colleges, the subjects we want just aren't offered,' the student said.
The problem is not isolated. A student from Arya College said the lack of counsellors leaves students directionless. 'We are forced to take whatever is available because there's no one to guide us,' the student added.
Brij Bhushan Goyal from the SCD Government College Alumni Association said the issue hits humanities students hardest. 'Regardless of whether they studied under CBSE, ICSE or PSEB boards, humanities students often can't find their preferred subject combinations. It's unfair to those who have performed well. The higher education department needs to deploy trained counsellors online to help students make informed choices,' he said.
College principals and educators attributed the issue to infrastructure and staffing constraints. They explained that subject offerings depend on available faculty and the need to balance workloads.
SCD College principal Gursharnjit Singh Sandhu said the National Education Policy (NEP) has introduced flexibility with multiple subject choices, but its full implementation remains difficult. 'We are limited by our infrastructure and timetable capacity,' he said.
Suman Lata, principal of Government College for Girls (GCG), echoed this concern. 'To offer more combinations, we would need to revise the timetable significantly. Students usually don't stay in college past afternoon hours, but I've proposed a five-day week with extended hours to allow more flexibility.'
High demand for BCom, BA; BSc seats still available
With the July 31 admission deadline nearing, many colleges have already filled their seats for popular courses. According to GCG principal Suman Lata, all seats in BA, BCom, BBA, and BCA are full. However, 40 seats are still available in the BSc non-medical stream, and 30 in the medical stream.
At Government College (East), BCom and BBA courses are full, while the newly introduced BSc course has seen 20 students enrolled in its first-ever batch.
SCD Government College has also nearly filled its BA and BCom seats, but BSc courses still have room. So far, only 96 out of 160 BSc medical seats and 118 out of 210 BSc non-medical seats have been taken.
