More than 17,000 candidates appeared for the undergraduate entrance examination of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) today, competing for just 900 seats across 14 disciplines.
As per officials, the numbers reflect a sharp rise in demand for agriculture and allied sciences education in J&K.
The University Entrance Test (UET), conducted at 26 centres across Kashmir and Jammu, recorded an attendance rate of around 94 percent, university officials said.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nazir Ahmad Ganai said the level of competition was unprecedented, with only one out of every 18 applicants expected to secure admission.We have received applications from over 17,000 students and can accommodate only 900. Out of every 18 applicants, only one will get admission. The competition is huge,” Ganai said.
He said the overwhelming response comes at a time when several universities across the country are struggling to fill available seats, which, he said, reflects growing trust among students and parents in SKUAST-K’s academic programmes and career-oriented approach.
Ganai said the university’s newly introduced and specialised courses have generated significant interest among aspirants.
He said the B.Tech programme in Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture, being offered in collaboration with IIT Mandi, received around 900 applications for just 30 seats.
“It shows the confidence of students and parents in the university. We are also expanding opportunities for students from other states, NRIs and international applicants,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor attributed the growing demand to the university’s emphasis on innovation, entrepreneurship and skill-based education in line with the National Education Policy (NEP).
He said SKUAST-K has emerged as one of the country’s leading agricultural universities in innovation and startup development.
“NEP focuses on creating a system that produces skilled, confident and employable graduates. Our programmes are designed with that objective,” he said.
To ensure smooth and transparent conduct of the examination, the university put in place elaborate administrative and security arrangements.
