DU, JU and BUET shut doors on HSC supplementary candidates; where can they apply

Most universities are now allowing students who pass the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) supplementary examinations to sit for undergraduate admission tests. Several universities have revised or are adjusting their admission schedules to accommodate these students. However, some institutions, including University of Dhaka and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), are not allowing supplementary examinees to take their admission tests and are sticking to their previously announced schedules.

Education stakeholders have urged universities, including University of Dhaka, that have already announced their admission test dates to reconsider their schedules to ensure that students who pass the supplementary examinations get the opportunity to pursue higher education.

The results of the HSC and equivalent examinations were published on 31 October. Of the 1,240,798 candidates who appeared under 11 education boards, 646,685 passed, with an overall pass rate of 52.12 per cent. This means nearly half of the candidates failed. A total of 40,084 students secured GPA 5.

The education authorities have decided to hold supplementary examinations for students who failed in up to two subjects in this year's HSC and equivalent examinations. The examinations will begin on 1 December and end on 15 December.

The schedule was announced on Thursday, with the results expected to be published by late December. The initiative aims to ensure that students who pass the supplementary examinations can apply for admission to higher education institutions in the next academic year.

As part of this initiative, a meeting was held at the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday with vice-chancellors or their representatives. The meeting decided that public universities will begin accepting applications for first-year undergraduate admission from January next year, with admission tests planned from February.

Following the UGC meeting, some universities have revised their schedules to accommodate students who pass the supplementary examinations, while others have retained their earlier decisions.

The University of Chittagong will begin accepting online applications for first-year undergraduate admission in the 2026–27 academic year on 10 December. Applications will remain open until 10 January. Admission tests will begin on 29 January and continue until 8 February. The university authorities made the decision on Wednesday.

According to a notice posted on the university's verified Facebook page, students who failed in one or two subjects in the HSC or equivalent examinations but pass the supplementary examinations, meet the minimum GPA and other admission requirements, will be able to apply after the supplementary results are published. However, they can register as users on the admission portal before that if they wish.

The University of Rajshahi had initially decided to hold its admission tests in January next year. However, at a meeting of its subcommittee on admission tests on Wednesday, the university decided to postpone the first-year undergraduate admission tests for the 2026–27 academic year.

Under the revised schedule, the tests will begin on 12 February with the 'B' unit (business studies) examination and continue until 20 February.

Applications for admission to Rajshahi University will open on 15 November and remain open until 30 November. However, students taking the supplementary examinations will be able to apply after their results are published. According to a university notice, those who pass will get seven days to submit their applications.

The admission tests at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology will be held on 17 and 18 January. Vice-Chancellor Professor Md Khairul Islam told Prothom Alo that a meeting of the admission committee had been scheduled for 15 November.

He said the university would make a decision in the best interests of all students. As the admission tests would take place on 17 and 18 January, students who pass the supplementary examinations would be able to sit for them, he added.

Jagannath University will begin its admission tests on 1 January. Tests for different faculties will be held on 8, 15, 22 and 23 January. Application forms will be available from 25 November to 10 December. The university made the decision on Wednesday.

Jagannath University Registrar Professor Md Sheikh Giash Uddin said students taking the supplementary examinations would also be allowed to apply.

He told Prothom Alo that students who failed in one or two HSC subjects could apply based on their SSC results. If they pass the HSC supplementary examinations later, they will be eligible to sit for the undergraduate admission tests. Those who fail the supplementary examinations will not be allowed to take the tests.

Khulna University's admission test dates have also been rescheduled. The university authorities said the tests would be held on 4 and 5 February next year. The decision was taken at a meeting of the central admission committee on 10 November.

Details regarding the application process, eligibility criteria, schedule and admission procedures will be published on the university's official website later.

Comilla University has also postponed the application period for first-year admission. Under the revised schedule, online applications will be accepted from 10 December to 31 December. Applications were initially scheduled to open on 15 November.

Although the application period has changed, the previously announced admission test dates remain unchanged. The tests will be held on 5, 6 and 7 February. Students taking the HSC supplementary examinations will also be able to apply for the admission tests.

BUET will hold its admission test on 16 January. Its Vice-Chancellor Eqramul Hoque told Prothom Alo on Wednesday that the university would not change the schedule. Distribution of application forms will begin on 21 November.

If BUET follows its announced application and examination schedule, students who pass the supplementary examinations will not be able to sit for its admission test.

Syed Mohammad Ali Reza, secretary of Jahangirnagar University's central admission test management committee and deputy registrar of its academic branch, told Prothom Alo that the university's admission tests would be held between 10 and 21 January.

He further said that the application process will close by 15 December. As a result, students who pass the HSC supplementary examinations will not be eligible to sit for the tests.

Earlier, at an emergency meeting of the University of Dhaka's general admission committee on Monday, the university decided not to change its examination schedule. The application deadline remains 25 November and the admission tests will begin as previously announced on 5 December.