JU admission tests likely to begin Jan 17; no divisional centres

Jahangirnagar University's (JU) admission tests for the 2026-27 academic session are likely to begin on January 17 next year, while the plan to hold the tests in divisional cities has been dropped for the session.

JU Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Prof Dr Md Shamsul Alam confirmed the development to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) following a meeting of the university's Admission Test Committee on Tuesday.

"January 17 has been proposed as a tentative starting date for next year's admission tests. The entire week from January 17 will be considered as the tentative examination period. However, the final decision will be taken after discussion at the Academic Council," he said.

The Pro-VC said the committee had reached a policy-level consensus to complete the admission test for each unit in a single shift from 2027-28 academic session.

"There will be one question paper and the examination of a unit will be completed in a single shift," he said, adding that the proposed system would eliminate the need to hold separate shifts for male and female candidates of the same unit. However, the new system could not be fully implemented this academic session, he said.

Regarding the proposal to hold admission tests in divisional cities, Prof Shamsul said the committee had discussed the issue but decided not to implement it this session due to additional financial and logistical requirements for conducting examinations outside the campus.

The committee also considered holding tests at several colleges in Dhaka, but the proposal could not be implemented due to similar practical difficulties, he added.

The proposals discussed at the committee meeting will be placed before an emergency meeting of the Academic Council for final approval. The Academic Council meeting may be held on September 24, although the date could be changed, the Pro-VC said.

Meanwhile, the committee discussed possible changes to the admission test system for second-time applicants. Instead of directly deducting marks from second-time candidates, a proposal was discussed to increase the marks allocated to the written examination to maintain parity among candidates.

The written examination currently carries 80 marks, while a proposal to increase it to 90 marks was discussed. However, no final decision has yet been taken on the matter.

Prof Shamsul said all the issues would be decided after further discussion and consideration by the relevant university bodies. "After discussing all the issues, the decisions will be taken. The proposals will be placed before the Academic Council for a final decision," he said.