St Xavier’s College to Admit UG, PG Students Through GCAS After Four-Month Wait

After months of uncertainty, St Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, has decided to admit students to its undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programmes through the Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS) portal this year.

The decision comes after the college had opposed the mandatory GCAS admission process and subsequently approached the Gujarat High Court. With the hearing now concluded and the court's verdict pending, the management has decided to proceed through GCAS to ensure that students do not lose an academic year and that seats at the college do not remain vacant.

The government is expected to open another registration round on the GCAS portal shortly.

Admission Dispute Continued for Months

St Xavier’s College, considered Gujarat’s first autonomous college, had not joined GCAS in 2024 when the state introduced the centralised online admission system for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

The college joined GCAS the following year after discussions with the government. However, the management decided against joining the system this year, citing difficulties faced by students and the college due to the admission process continuing until Diwali.

The government subsequently held several meetings with the college management and principal in an attempt to persuade the institution to participate.

Government Warned Students About Admission

After the college declined to join GCAS, the government issued a public notice advising students and parents that registration on the GCAS portal was mandatory for admission to the college.

The government also warned that students who registered and secured admission directly through the college's portal could face difficulties with their university enrolment.

The college, meanwhile, had issued its own notice asking students to register through its portal and maintained that it was an autonomous institution with the right to conduct its own admission process.

Management Cites Student Interest

With the High Court verdict still pending, the college management has now opted for an interim arrangement.

In a notice published on its website, the college informed students and parents that, since the court proceedings are pending, admissions would be offered through GCAS on an ad hoc basis for the current academic year, keeping the interests of students in mind and without prejudice to the ongoing legal proceedings.

The college has also clarified that its autonomous and minority rights will continue to remain intact.

College May Have to Refund Over ₹20 Lakh

The college had independently started online registration for UG and PG admissions in April.

St Xavier’s College has more than 1,800 seats across various aided and self-financed Arts, Science and Commerce courses at the UG and PG levels.

More than 4,500 students had reportedly filled out forms through the college's own admission portal. The college charged ₹450 per student as a registration fee.

Since admissions will now be processed through GCAS, the college will have to refund the registration fees collected through its portal.

Based on the number of registrations, the college may have to refund more than ₹20 lakh to students.