Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In a progressive move aimed at promoting academic inclusivity and aligning with evolving student mobility trends, Goa University has revised its long-standing policy of capping admissions for candidates from Other Universities (OU) in its Postgraduate (PG) programmes.
For decades, the University has reserved 10% of seats, with a maximum cap of 2 seats per PG programme, for OU candidates. This limit was introduced when most PG programmes had an intake capacity of 15 to 30 students. However, seat strength has substantially increased over the past two to three decades due to growing demand, particularly following the implementation of the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) reservation in 2020-21, which led to a 30% rise in seats across programmes.
For instance, the M.Sc. Chemistry programme, which had an intake of 30 seats in the 1990s, now accommodates 100 students. Yet, the OU reservation remained at just 2 seats -effectively reducing OU category to only 2%.
OU category includes Goan students who pursued their undergraduate education at other institutions across India or abroad and now wish to return to Goa for higher education. This adjustment enhances their opportunity for admission while maintaining the integrity of the overall reservation framework.
Diversity and Inclusion, vital parameters under national evaluation systems like NAAC and NIRF are central to this policy update. A more diverse cohort enriches peer learning, encourages cross-cultural exchange, and better prepares students for global work environments and multicultural career trajectories.
Furthermore, Vacant OU category seats are converted to Unreserved seats in the first round of admission, ensuring immediate availability to Goan students. The revision does not affect any existing reservation categories, including SC, ST, OBC, EWS, or PwD, and continues to uphold the State Government’s Reservation Policy.
To avoid confusion during the ongoing admission process, Goa University has decided to maintain the status quo for the current round of admission (April 4–5, 2025). Admissions for this round will proceed under the earlier policy of admitting a maximum of 2 OU candidates per PG programme.
