DU, BUET stick to admission schedules as Rajshahi, Jagannath permit HSC resit candidates

Dhaka University and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) have decided to proceed with their undergraduate admission tests as scheduled despite the education ministry's decision to stage supplementary examinations for Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) students who failed up to two subjects.

In contrast, Rajshahi University has pushed back its timetable while Jagannath University has opened the door for resit students under specific conditions.

According to Dhaka University's public relations office, online applications opened at midnight on Wednesday and will close on Nov 25.

Its entrance examinations are set to take place between Dec 5 and 26.

Meanwhile, a member of the BUET admission committee said their registration window will open on Nov 21, with the examination scheduled for Jan 16.

These timelines effectively lock out students taking resits.

The education ministry announced that supplementary examinations for those who failed a maximum of two subjects will begin on Dec 1, with results expected at the end of the month.

As application portals for both Dhaka University and BUET close before the revised grades are published, failed candidates remain ineligible to apply.

Meanwhile, a sharp drop in higher grades has constrained candidate eligibility.

As Dhaka University maintains a minimum threshold of GPA 3.5, nearly half of those who passed are excluded.

The threshold remains even steeper at BUET, which will not entertain candidates below GPA-5.

Addressing the policy, Prof Kamrul Hasan, head of the BUET admission committee, told bdnews24.com: "We will examine only 10,000 candidates, whereas the number of students securing GPA-5 is more than double that.

“If applications exceed 10,000, many will be screened out. Therefore, there is no need to relax our eligibility criteria."

To accommodate resit examinees, the University Grants Commission (UGC) met vice-chancellors on Monday.

UGC Chairman Prof Mamun Ahmed subsequently announced that public universities were expected to accept applications from January and stage admission tests from February.

Rajshahi University’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Faridul Islam said admission tests will begin on Feb 12 with the business faculty unit.

Initial applications will run from Nov 15 to 30, but a separate seven-day application window will be granted to supplementary candidates once their results are published.

Meanwhile, Jagannath University announced that candidates sitting supplementary exams for up to two subjects may register for the 2026-27 undergraduate and BBA admission tests based on their Secondary School Certificate (SSC) qualifications.

The university’s entrance examinations will begin on Jan 1 with the science faculty’s A unit, with applications accepted between Nov 25 and Dec 10.