Will Unrest Impact UoH Admissions?

Varsity to issue admission notification today; professors optimistic about the number of applications it will receive.

HYDERABAD:  Would constant protests at the University of Hyderabad bring down the number of applications it receives for admission? University authorities are expected to issue a notification on Monday for admissions to various academic courses even as further protests are being planned and students have vowed to continue their agitation.

In the past few days, when agitations have rocked the campus, certain sections of the university have expressed concern over the image of the university taking a beating. However, some professors are optimistic about the number of applications the university will receive. Though some more too have sounded hopeful, they, however, have said only time would tell if the protests impact the aspirations of students to join the prestigious central university.

This is not the first time that the university community has expressed concern over the response the admission notification might receive. When ‘Kiss of Love’ was organised on the campus in November 2014, some thought it would dissuade parents from allowing their children to get admitted to the university. But disproving their fears, the UoH received a record number of applications, 44,224, for various courses for the academic year 2015-16.

A professor of the university said students from vulnerable communities would be more inclined to join the university since it gained name as a place where rights were guarded. “The university has become a place where human rights are protected. We are expecting more number of applications this season,” said the professor. “The Kiss of Love event did not have any negative impact on the number of applications. These protests too would not affect this admission season,” said another professor.

An official of the university said they regularly received enquiries to know the date of admissions. “But it needs to be seen whether the present situation will impact the applications’ number,” the official said.

Officials said Indian universities’ ranking would be announced on Monday and if the UoH was ranked as one of the best in the country, it would help it attract more number of applications. The rankings of Indian universities, institutes of engineering, management and pharmacy, are expected to be announced by Union minister for HRD Smriti Irani in Delhi.

 Hopes & Fears

• If UoH gets a decent rank in the all-India rankings to be announced in Delhi on Monday, it will bolster its reputation and standing
• The Kiss of Love event organised on the campus in 2014 failed to impact admissions adversely as feared
• Yet, there are fears that the continued protests may impinge on admissions and reputation of the institution