Public university tests set for Feb

Public universities will begin accepting applications for the 2026-27 academic session in January, with admission tests scheduled for February to give students appearing in the upcoming HSC supplementary examinations an opportunity to compete for university places.

The decision was taken unanimously at a meeting of public university vice-chancellors at the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday.

UGC Chairman Prof Mamun Ahmed announced the decision at a press briefing after the meeting, saying universities would coordinate among themselves to finalise and publish their admission test schedules.

The move follows concerns that more than four lakh students eligible for the HSC supplementary examinations could miss out on university admission this academic year because several institutions had already announced application deadlines and examination dates.

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon announced the supplementary examinations on October 31. Students who failed in up to two subjects will be allowed to retake the examinations without waiting another year.

Of the 5,94,113 students who failed this year’s HSC and equivalent examinations, 4,22,905 are eligible to sit for the supplementary tests. The examinations are scheduled to begin on December 1, with results expected by December 31.

Prof Mamun said the government was working to publish the supplementary examination results and the outcomes of HSC answer script re-evaluations by the end of December. Students who pass through either process will be eligible to sit for university admission tests.

Several universities have already announced their admission schedules. Dhaka University is scheduled to accept applications from November 11 to 25 and hold five admission tests between December 5 and 26.

Jagannath University will accept applications from November 15 to December 10, with its admission tests beginning on January 1.

Prof Mamun said universities that had already published their schedules had been asked to reconsider them in the interest of students.

The UGC also urged universities to avoid overlapping examination dates and consider Ramadan when preparing their schedules.

The meeting discussed forming a central coordination committee comprising representatives from the UGC, the Education Ministry and universities.

The proposed committee would coordinate admission activities and examination schedules throughout the year.

Regarding admission test formats, Prof Mamun said universities would retain their existing multiple-choice question (MCQ) systems for this year’s admission tests.

However, the meeting discussed introducing subject-based and analytical questions alongside MCQs from the next academic session to assess students’ understanding and problem-solving abilities.

The UGC also urged universities to consider the number of HSC graduates and available higher education places when setting GPA requirements for admission.

Prof Mamun said the coordination initiative would not affect the autonomy or legal authority of individual universities.

They would continue to conduct admission processes under their own rules, with the UGC providing technical and administrative support.

According to UGC figures reported earlier, the country has 14,92,288 undergraduate places for the 2026-27 academic session. Of these, 63,656 are at public university main campuses, 10,18,632 at affiliated colleges and institutions, and 4,10,000 at private universities.