Education experts and officials from the state education department on Friday discussed several measures to make the Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS) more efficient and student-friendly.
Among the key suggestions was bringing private universities under the GCAS framework to widen its scope and ensure a more streamlined and transparent admission process. The panel also discussed the development of a dedicated GCAS mobile application to improve outreach and speed up student registrations.
The state government had constituted a committee earlier this week to examine the admission process and recommend improvements for the next academic year. A member familiar with the discussions said deliberations focused on enabling faster admissions within a shorter timeframe, limiting the number of offers made to students based on their preferences, decentralising the process, and allowing students to opt for colleges closer to their location.
“At present, a student receives up to 17 offers from different colleges, which delays seat confirmation as students take time to decide. The committee discussed adopting a system similar to the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC), where students are given three choices based on merit and cut-offs and are required to select one,” the member said.
The panel also suggested providing options for students to choose and secure admission in nearby colleges through both online and offline modes to further speed up the process.
Commissioner of Higher Education Dilip Rana said the first meeting focused on identifying issues and gathering suggestions. “We have invited inputs from stakeholders, and decisions on the changes required in GCAS will be taken in due course,” he said.