Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru/Udupi

Mangaluru/Udupi, May 15: With the announcement of SSLC results, the Pre-University Course (PUC) admission process has begun across the state. A majority of students are showing a clear preference for the PCMC combination in the Science stream and courses with statistics in the commerce stream.

In most rural colleges, the demand for the science stream is notably high. Likewise, in colleges offering statistics as part of the commerce curriculum, there has been a surge in applications. Across rural areas, all commerce stream courses are witnessing increased demand. Even in the absence of Statistics, the number of students opting for commerce is growing. However, the arts stream has seen minimal interest in both Udupi and Dakshina Kannada (DK) districts.

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Several private PUC colleges have nearly completed the admission process. Although a few seats are still available in certain science courses like PCMB (physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology), admission has become difficult for many students due to high cut-off marks (above 90-95%). Government and aided colleges have already begun issuing applications and have started the admission process.

While the arts stream is barely available in private and aided colleges, it is more commonly offered in government pre-university institutions. Yet, even in these colleges, the number of students enrolling in the arts stream continues to decline, raising concerns among educators.

According to data, in the 2024–25 second PUC annual examination, Dakshina Kannada district had 17,598 students in the science stream, 14,510 in commerce, and 3,935 in arts. In Udupi district, 7,731 students were enrolled in science, 7,246 in commerce, and 1,150 in arts. Despite these numbers, only around 5,000 students from both districts took the exam.

“The preference for science and commerce is evidently on the rise, while the arts stream continues to face enrollment challenges. Lecturers have been making various efforts to promote the stream, but students and parents remain unconvinced. As a result, some government colleges may be forced to transfer or reassign arts lecturers due to a lack of student intake,” said Maruthi, DDPU, Udupi and Sridhar H G, DDPU, Dakshina Kannada.