Summary
Delhi University (DU) has adopted a data-driven admission strategy for the 2026-27 undergraduate admission cycle by making 21,409 additional seat allocations in the first round.
The first CSAS allocation list, released on July 16, offered seats to 93,033 candidates against the university’s total intake of 71,624 undergraduate seats.
Delhi University (DU) has adopted a data-driven admission strategy for the 2026-27 undergraduate admission cycle by making 21,409 additional seat allocations in the first round under the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS). University officials told PTI that the decision has been taken after analysing admission patterns from the past several years to ensure that the maximum number of seats are filled by the end of the admission process.
The first CSAS allocation list, released on July 16, offered seats to 93,033 candidates against the university’s total intake of 71,624 undergraduate seats, reflecting the university’s approach of over-allocation in selected colleges and programmes where vacancies have historically remained after multiple rounds of counselling. Explaining the rationale behind the move, Dean of Admissions Haneet Gandhi said the university relied on admission data from the last four to five years before deciding on the number of additional allocations. She stated that over-allocation has been carried out only for peripheral colleges and courses that generally witness lower enrolment or where seats tend to remain vacant even after the final admission round.
According to Gandhi, no additional allocations have been made for highly sought-after colleges or programmes that consistently witness full occupancy. She cited Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) as an example, noting that no extra seats were allocated there. Similarly, popular programmes such as Economics (Honours) and Psychology (Honours) did not receive over-allocations because they regularly fill all available seats. However, additional allocations have been made in programmes such as Sanskrit (Honours) and Hindi (Honours), where historical data indicates comparatively lower student retention and a higher likelihood of vacant seats. Gandhi further said that the university plans to follow a similar strategy during the second round of admissions, with the number of additional allocations depending on how many candidates retain their allotted seats after the first round. She explained that the same formula would be applied in the second round based on retention rates, while the third and subsequent rounds would be conducted according to the actual number of vacancies remaining after students shift between colleges and courses during the initial admission rounds.
According to the university’s admission data, 93,033 candidates received seat allotments in the first round, including 42,019 male and 51,014 female applicants, resulting in an overall allocation rate of 86.1 per cent. The allotments were made from among 2,08,043 candidates who completed Phase II of the CSAS admission process by submitting their preferred colleges and programmes. Overall, 2,18,284 candidates successfully completed registration on the CSAS portal for undergraduate admissions this year.
Candidates who have been allotted seats in the first round must accept their allocated seats by 11.59 PM on July 18. Following seat acceptance, the respective colleges will verify the submitted documents and approve eligible applications, after which candidates will be required to complete the fee payment process to confirm their admission. Delhi University has also announced that the second allocation list under CSAS will be published on July 25, while the new academic session for undergraduate students will commence on July 28, marking the beginning of the 2026-27 academic year.
Last updated on 18 Jul 2026
