A common admission portal for all universities in Gujarat, where students can apply for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, was thought to be a masterstroke by many, at least on paper.

However, months later, students and parents still need to visit universities, or head to private universities for hassle-free admission.

The portal and its issues have reportedly pushed a number of students away. These students are now taking the old, offline route for admissions, where they have to physically visit the colleges for the process.

The Gujarat Common Admission System (GCAS) portal was hailed as a one-stop solution for all admission needs. The students were not required to approach every college/university individually, and the parents didn’t have to accompany them, it was said.

The online application fee was also fixed at ₹300, as convenience was promised by GCAS.

Notably, before GCAS was announced, many colleges and universities did not charge an application fee, while Gujarat University had an application fee of ₹125.

After issues cropped up and 47,000 seats remained unclaimed after two rounds of admission rounds on GCAS, Gujarat University has now opted for offline applications.

17,810 admissions were confirmed at the end of the second round of the more than 65,000 available seats.

In the first round, more than 51,000 students were granted admission, with 10,000 candidates confirming their admissions. In the second round, 36,000 seats were allocated, of which, 6,690 candidates confirmed their admission.

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GCAS portal responsible for unfilled seats in Gujarat University?