Race for admissions to heat up as ICSE, CBSE 90% club grows

Mumbai: The announcement of ICSE and CBSE results has set the stage for a competitive admissions season in the city’s junior and degree colleges.
With a significant number of students scoring more than 90% in both the boards, pressure is mounting on the still-to-be-declared SSC and HSC results. Principals anticipate that the top college seats will be secured by candidates who have scored 95% and above, especially for humanities and commerce and its allied courses.

In the ICSE Class 10 exams, 6,986 students from the state achieved scores above 90% while 5,230 from the state crossed the 95% threshold.Similarly, the CBSE Class 10 results have seen a notable increase in the number of candidates scoring between 95% and 98% compared with the previous year, said city school heads.
When it comes to degree college admissions, a considerable proportion of CBSE Class 12 students aspire to pursue medicine or engineering, which may lead to a surge in enrolments for science programmes as a backup option.
Shobhana Vasudevan, principal of Podar College, noted that while the SSC and HSC results will largely determine the course of admissions, students are increasingly opting for innovative courses based on their individual preferences.
With the expansion of course offerings, students are no longer following set trends but are instead following their passions. Krutika Desai, principal of Mithibai College, emphasised the difficulty in predicting admission trends without considering the scores of students across all three boards. Last year, the college based its admissions on CUET scores, but this year, they have reverted to Class 12 scores for most admissions.
The state board’s SSC taken by around 16 lakh students and HSC exams which were attempted by 14.6 lakh students that make up for over 90% aspirants, will play a crucial role in determining the academic future of the overall student population.