UGC asks colleges to update websites with admission guidelines

Chennai: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all colleges and universities to publish their admission guidelines on their websites. The commission also says that students who begin with a difficulty due to a social handicap or a shift in medium of instruction should be given special support.The guidelines mandate that the prospectus must spell out the process and criteria for admissions exactly. This should include weightage given to previous academic performance, entrance examination and interview.

The final scores of each candidate who appeared for the entrance exam, including all components and the entire waiting list, must be made public.Students complain that several colleges either don’t have a website or don’t update it with proper details periodically.“When one tries to browse through the website of a college for details, he could be surprised to find that the website does not exist. I tried to check the website of a private arts and science college on the outskirts of the city and was surprised to see the portal was updated two years ago,” K. Suresh, student of an arts and science college in the city, said.

T. Saravanan, another student pointed out that some universities don’t provide adequate details on their website, which makes it difficult for students to get information about courses and departments. Asked about the students’ complaints, Prof H. Devaraj, vice-chairman, UGC, said the commission had sent letters to all colleges and universities in the country asking them to maintain websites with all information, including admission details.