INDORE: The Madhya Pradesh Department of Higher Education (DHE) has extended the admission deadline for undergraduate, postgraduate and NCTE programmes till July 31, giving students additional time to secure seats in colleges across the state. The earlier deadline was July 15. The decision comes as thousands of students continue to wait for the results of counselling for professional courses before finalising admission to regular degree programmes. Despite the ongoing College Level Counselling (CLC) round, government and private colleges are still reporting a large number of vacant seats. According to DHE figures available till July 14, a total of 4,23,233 admissions have been confirmed across UG, PG and NCTE programmes in Madhya Pradesh. Undergraduate courses account for the largest share, with 3,04,460 students securing admission, while 92,165 admissions have been recorded in postgraduate programmes. Another 26,608 students have taken admission to NCTE programmes, including courses such as B.Ed and M.Ed. Although more than four lakh students have already secured seats, enrolment in several traditional courses such as BA, BCom, MA and MCom continues to remain below expectations.

The situation is similar in Indore, where government colleges have struggled to meet admission targets during the CLC phase. The higher education department had targeted around 1,200 admissions per day in the district, but colleges have been recording only about 400 to 500 admissions daily. Old Government Degree College is one example, where more than 4,000 undergraduate and postgraduate seats are available but only around 3,100 students have enrolled so far. Officials have linked the slower admission process largely to delays in counselling for professional and specialised courses. Students are waiting for developments in CUET-UG, engineering admissions conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education and NEET counselling before deciding whether to take admission in conventional degree programmes. Many applicants have registered for more than one counselling process and are reluctant to lock a seat until they know whether they can secure admission to their preferred professional course. DHE OSD Tulsiram Dahayat said the extension from July 15 to July 31 was intended to give such students additional time and ensure deserving candidates do not miss the opportunity to secure admission.

Students have also welcomed the extension, saying it reduces the pressure to make an immediate choice while other counselling processes remain underway. Indore applicant Ayush Sharma said he had registered for both CUET and DHE counselling and did not want to confirm admission in another course while the allotment process was still continuing. Another applicant, Ritu Pal, who is waiting for postgraduate counselling, said many students were simultaneously participating in multiple admission processes and the extension would give them more time to choose an appropriate course rather than rushing into a decision. The MP UG PG admission deadline will now remain open until July 31, and higher education officials expect the additional period to help colleges fill a significant portion of their vacant seats. With counselling for professional courses expected to continue over the coming weeks, the final admission numbers could rise considerably before the extended deadline closes. For colleges struggling with lower enrolment, particularly in traditional undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the next two weeks will be important as they try to fill vacancies before the academic session gathers pace.