Alerts and Updates for Calcutta University PG Entrance Test (CU PG Admission)

CU PG entrance at a glance

The two-part structure is the thing to read first. Part-A is reserved for the current cohort of Calcutta University graduates and blends undergraduate record with test score in equal halves; Part-B is an open pool judged on the test alone. Tie-breaking runs first on the number of negative marks accumulated in the test, then on the undergraduate subject percentage. Reservation is applied as SC 22 per cent, ST 6 per cent, OBC-A 10 per cent, OBC-B 7 per cent, PWD 5 per cent and EWS 10 per cent.

Dates and windows

The academic session itself runs July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, split into an odd semester from July to December and an even semester from January to June. No later PG phase, mop-up or spot round for the 2026-28 cycle was visible on the CU PG admission portal or the university notice index when these pages were read on September 22, 2026; the portal lists programme-wise admission pages without a consolidated phase calendar, so candidates should check the individual department page rather than assume a further round exists.

What this means for your preparation

The commonest mistake with Calcutta University PG admission is treating it as a single merit list. It is not. Sixty per cent of seats sit in Part-A, where the undergraduate record still carries half the weight, and forty per cent sit in Part-B, where it carries none at all. Candidates who assume their honours marks will carry them, or conversely that the test is everything, both misread the sheet they are actually competing on.

Work out which part you sit in

Part-A is the reserved pool for the current cohort of Calcutta University undergraduates under the CCF structure, and its merit is computed as half entrance test marks and half undergraduate honours marks up to the fifth semester. Part-B is the open forty per cent, and the brochure states selection there rests solely on entrance test performance. This matters because the same raw test score converts into two quite different ranks. A candidate with a strong fifth-semester aggregate is materially better off competing in Part-A; an applicant from outside the current CU cohort, or someone returning within the five-year eligibility window, has only the test. Read the brochure's part definitions before you read anything about cut-offs, because a cut-off quoted without its part is meaningless.

Negative marking decides ties, not just scores

The test is fifty questions for a hundred marks in sixty minutes, awarding plus two for a correct answer and minus 0.5 for a wrong one. That ratio makes guessing mildly profitable in isolation, which is why the brochure's tie-break rule deserves attention: where two candidates finish level, the first tie-breaker is the number of negative marks incurred, and only then the undergraduate subject percentage. A candidate who reaches a given score by attempting everything loses to a candidate who reaches the same score by attempting fewer and missing fewer. The practical implication is to treat the last few uncertain attempts as costly twice over, once in raw marks and once again in the ordering.

The five-year window changes who you face

Eligibility was widened this cycle so that applicants may apply within five years of graduation rather than one, which was reported when the mandatory entrance test was announced in May 2026. The effect on the Part-B pool is direct: it now admits several graduating cohorts at once rather than one, so the open forty per cent is a deeper field than it was. Anyone planning around a previous year's Part-B closing rank should treat that number as unreliable. The brochure also lists disqualifying conditions that catch people out, including holding a previous postgraduate degree, carrying a failed semester, and entering from a multidisciplinary rather than a single-major or honours background.

Counselling preferences close downward and do not reopen

The brochure describes a multi-round counselling process driven by a preference order, and states that once an option is matched with the preferred course, all lower preferences are automatically closed while higher preferences stay live for later rounds. Filling preferences is therefore a one-way ratchet: a match at position four kills five onwards permanently but leaves one to three available if seats free up. The correct way to fill the list is strictly in order of genuine preference, never in order of perceived safety, because listing a fallback above a real first choice locks the fallback in and destroys the upgrade path that the rule is designed to preserve.

Provisional admission is conditional on the sixth semester

Selection lists are published before final undergraduate results are known, and admission granted on that basis is provisional. Reporting on the cycle states that clearing every semester remains mandatory for postgraduate enrolment and that a candidate who fails the sixth semester loses eligibility. The brochure separately sets minimum thresholds for the three-year degree route, including a 4.0 CGPA, a minimum of 120 credits and at least half the credits drawn from core courses. Anyone sitting the entrance test with a pending backlog should treat that backlog, not the test, as the binding constraint on the admission, and should not defer a supplementary attempt.

Common questions

Is the Calcutta University PG entrance test one common paper or a separate test per department?

Applications are grouped and the application fee is charged per group, at Rs 1,000 for unreserved and OBC candidates and Rs 500 for SC, ST and PWD candidates, which indicates subject grouping rather than a single universal paper. The format is uniform across the board, being a computer-based test of fifty questions and a hundred marks in one hour. The brochure also notes that some multidisciplinary courses, such as Archaeology and Buddhist Studies, may replace the written test with an interview.

Do my undergraduate marks count towards Calcutta University PG admission in 2026?

Only if you are competing for a Part-A seat. Part-A covers sixty per cent of seats and is computed as fifty per cent entrance test marks plus fifty per cent undergraduate honours marks up to the fifth semester. Part-B covers the remaining forty per cent and, per the official brochure, is decided on entrance test performance alone. Undergraduate percentage also reappears as the second tie-breaker, applied only after the number of negative marks in the test has been compared.

Has Calcutta University announced a further PG admission round for 2026-28?

Nothing of that kind was visible on the CU PG admission portal or the university notice index when they were read on September 22, 2026. The most recent postgraduate item recorded is a notice dated September 9, 2026 concerning the online PG registration process for 2026-2027, which is an enrolment step for candidates already admitted rather than a fresh admission opportunity. The portal presents programme-wise pages without a consolidated phase calendar, so any later round would appear on the relevant department page.

How long after graduating can I apply for a Calcutta University PG course?

The window was extended to five years after graduation for the 2026 cycle, up from one year previously, as reported when the mandatory entrance test was announced in May 2026. Passing all undergraduate semesters remains a condition of enrolment regardless of when you graduated. The brochure separately bars applicants who already hold a postgraduate degree, who carry a failed semester, or whose undergraduate background is multidisciplinary rather than a single major or honours subject.

What are the reservation percentages for Calcutta University PG seats?

The official 2026-2028 brochure sets out SC at 22 per cent, ST at 6 per cent, OBC-A at 10 per cent, OBC-B at 7 per cent, PWD at 5 per cent and EWS at 10 per cent. Separately from reservation, the overall pool is split 80 per cent to two-year postgraduate programmes and 20 per cent to one-year programmes, the one-year route being open to candidates who completed a four-year undergraduate degree while the two-year route follows a three-year exit.

When did the 2026 Calcutta University PG admission phases actually run?

The admission portal was open from May 11 to 20, 2026. The Part-B provisional selection list appeared on July 23, with document upload on July 23 and 24 and a Phase 1 admission payment deadline of 2:00 PM on July 25. Phase 2 physical verification at departments was held from July 27 to 30, and classes were reported to start in the first week of August. The PG academic calendar for 2026-28 was released on August 4, 2026.