While most colleges typically close admissions by early April, several private institutions in Bengaluru are still open for applications as they see a noticeable drop in demand for traditional courses like BA (general) and BCom (general), while specialised programmes are gaining traction.
Courses like BCom Honours in Finance, BA Honours in Economics and Psychology, and BCA with a focus on Cybersecurity are seeing a significant surge in interest, picking up momentum as students are increasingly opting for industry-relevant degrees.
This year, 6.37 lakh students appeared for the Second PUC exams in Karnataka, with 4.08 lakh clearing them. While 81,553 students passed in the Arts stream, the number opting for BA programmes continues to decline. In Commerce, 1.55 lakh students cleared the exams, with the majority showing a preference for specialisation in BCom and BBA courses.
Career options like Chartered Accountancy (CA) and Company Secretary (CS) are becoming increasingly popular among students. The Science stream saw the highest number of pass-outs at 2.31 lakh, though over half of them are aiming for engineering or medical seats. Faculty members across different colleges told The New Indian Express that BSc programmes are seeing a sharp decline and are being considered a backup for those who do not make it to professional courses.
Admissions in private colleges are usually wrapped up by early April, but this year, many institutions have kept applications open well beyond the usual timeline. “While the Unified University and College Management System (UUCMS) is the official platform for undergraduate admissions, the portal is yet to open for academic year 2025-26. To avoid delays, several colleges have begun accepting applications directly, keeping the admissions open till now, with plans to upload student data to the UUCMS once it goes live,” a representative of a private college said.
To keep up with the rising demand in specialisation, Mount Carmel College introduced several new programmes this year, including BSc in Computational Biology, BBA in Fintech and Digital Finance, BCom in Fintech and Digital Banking, and BCom in Business Analytics, Registrar (academics) Suma Singh told The New Indian Express.
“While BCom courses with specialisations have seen high demand, traditional programmes like BSc general and BA continue to witness relatively low interest. Psychology remains one of the most sought-after courses, but BA overall has seen a slow pickup,” Suma said, adding that they are hoping for an upsurge in applications in BA and BSc courses after the CET, and CBSE results.
Both Jyoti Nivas College and St Joseph’s College have also reported similar trends, with Commerce and Psychology specialisation courses continuing to be the most in-demand streams, representatives of the institutes mentioned.
