Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) will admit students to undergraduate courses for the academic session 2022-23 through the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), vice-chancellor Anu Singh Lather said on Thursday.

AUD is a state university under the Delhi government.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) mandates CUET for central universities across the country, however it is not mandatory for state universities to opt for the centralised test even though they have been given the flexibility to use CUET score.

In a press conference on Thursday, Lather said that admissions to all undergraduate programmes would be conducted through CUET 2022 so that a level playing field is provided to all students including students from government schools.

“It is mandatory for all the candidates to appear in CUET 2022, including those seeking admission to supernumerary seats. The eligibility criteria will be decided on the basis of marks obtained in CUET. The students will have to register on the website of NTA for examination and also on the website of the university,” said Lather.

While addressing concerns related to the common entrance test, Kartik Dave, dean planning, said that candidates will be able to appear in CUET in subjects of their preference as per the eligibility criteria of their desired programme. “The merit will be calculated on the basis of combination of only those subjects in which the candidate has appeared in the CUET. There will be no disadvantage to anyone on changing the stream,” said Dave.

On the lines of Delhi University, AUD has also adopted a different eligibility requirement for different courses. University officials said that candidates will have to appear for the CUET and choose subjects according to their preference of study.

CUET consists of 13 languages in the first part, and 20 languages in the second part. The second section of the CUET consists of 27 domain-specific topics while the third section is based on general knowledge.

For admission to most courses at AUD, students would require 50% marks in Class 12 board examinations, apart from the CUET score, which will be calculated on the basis of the best performance of the candidates in the subject combinations that they appear for In CUET, the V-C said.

In some vocational courses such as tourism and hospitality among others, candidates only need to pass Class 12.

University officials said that the varsity will set up a help desk and start a chat box facility on its website to facilitate students and address their queries.

The university will also be holding ‘open house’ programmes to address queries from students.