News Desk :
The online application process for undergraduate courses at Dhaka University (DU) in the 2020-21 academic session has been suspended till March 15.
The move comes following several technical issues, including glitches in the admission website.
Dr Md Mustafizur Rahman, convener of the university’s online admission committee, confirmed the matter on Thursday.
According to sources, following the inauguration of the online admission application process on March 8, students faced a lot of problems while trying to access the DU website.
Applicants said that even the one-time password (OTP) required for logging into the website was not working properly.
“Extra time will be given to the students following the end of the application period on March 31,” said Dr Mustafizur Rahman, who is a professor at the institution’s computer science and engineering (CSE) department.
He said: “From the very beginning of the process, many reported that they were facing technical issues while trying to use the admission website. This may have happened due to a surge in the number of applicants this year.”
“The number of applications quadrupled this time. In the first 48 hours of the admission process, almost 105,500 applications were received for the five units. This put a lot of pressure on the admission website,” he added.
“In 2019, some 270,000 applications were received by the university. But this time the numbers may surpass the 350,000 mark as the pass rate is higher since more students have got promoted,” he said. “At present, the website can handle a total of 4,500 people simultaneously. The capacity of the website will be increased in the next three days, following which at least 12,000 applicants will be able to visit the website at the same time.
“Resources are being brought from different departments. Things will be configured and we will resume accepting applications from March 15,” Dr Mustafizur Rahman added.
First year honours admission tests will begin on May 21, with the “Ka” unit test held in eight divisional cities for the first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Altogether 7,133 seats are available this year, including 1,810 under “Ka” (science) unit, 2,378 under “Kha” (arts) unit, 1,250 under “Ga” (business studies) unit, 1,560 under “Gha” (combined) unit and 135 under “Cha” unit.
Following the admission test for DU’s “Ka” (A) unit on May 21, the “Kha” (B) unit test will be held on May 22, “Ga” (C) unit on May 27, “Gha” (D) unit on May 28 and “Cha” (E) unit on June 5.
The tests will begin at 11am each day and will end at 12:30pm.
All examinees will have to answer MCQs carrying 60 marks and a written test carrying 40 marks, except “Cha” unit, where applicants will have to answer MCQs of 40 marks and a written test of 60 marks.
For the “Ka” unit, applicants will need to have at least a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 in both SSC and HSC or equivalent exams and a combined GPA of 8.5.
For the “Kha” unit, applicants will be required to have a minimum GPA of 3 and a combined GPA of 8 in the SSC and HSC exams.
Students applying for the “Ga” unit will need to have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in both SSC and HSC, and a combined GPA of 8.
Only 20 marks will be added based on results at the SSC and HSC exams, as opposed to 80 in the previous year’s admission tests.
