Four universities leave GST cluster admission test system

Twenty out of 24 public universities will remain in the system, the admission committee convener says

Four public universities have moved away from the GST cluster admission test system this year despite requests and strict instructions issued by the education ministry.

At a meeting with the vice-chancellors of the universities at the University Grants Commission, or UGC, on Tuesday, the admission committee’s Convener Prof Anwarul Azim Akhand said they had decided to hold the cluster admission test with the remaining 20 universities in the 2024-25 academic year.

The cluster system is being used for the students’ admission at the general, science and technology, or GST, universities.

As many as 24 universities admitted students under the system last year, but this time Jagannath University authorities have resumed admission tests under self-management.

The Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and Khulna University also decided to withdraw from the cluster system this year.

Khulna University issued a notification to conduct the entrance test in its own system in December last year. They will start the admission test on Apr 17.

In addition, Comilla University has also published the admission notice to take the C unit exam on Apr 19.

In December 2024, the education ministry had extended three-hold "requests" to the vice-chancellors to run admissions in the cluster system amid the exit of the universities from the system one after another.

After that, on Jan 27, the ministry asked the universities to strictly follow the cluster admission system.

However, the Comilla University VC was not present at the meeting.

Prof Anwarul Azim told bdnews24.com that Jagannath University, the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and Khulna University have decided to exit from the system this year.

Of the remaining 21, Comilla University has not determined whether it will still be in the cluster.

“The Comilla University VC was not present at the meeting. That’s why we decided to hold the cluster admission test with the remaining 20 universities.”

Prof Anwarul, vice-chancellor of the Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, said they have no issues if Comilla University chooses to remain in the system.

Asked when the admission notification of the cluster could be published, he said, "We will decide about that in another meeting.”