GCAS ‘complicated, causes delays’; students, colleges want reforms in Gujarat Common Admission Services

When Jaivika Vaghela applied for a BCom LLB programme through Gujarat’s centralised admission portal last year, she expected a straightforward process. Instead, she found herself stuck in a system she could neither fully understand nor challenge. “I filled the form properly, but during document verification, there were mistakes. Because of that, my name did not appear in the merit list,” she said.

A postgraduate in social work from Ahmedabad-based Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute (MGLI) Vaghela said she had taken a one-year gap before applying through the Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS) last year, aiming for admission to a reputed law institute in the state. However, during document verification, her application was held up due to verification issues, which she believes affected her chances.

Vaghela said the lack of clarity in the process made the situation more frustrating, especially as she saw candidates with lower marks on the entrance test or longer gaps being admitted. “I kept checking the merit list again and again, but my name was not there,” she said.

When she approached colleges she had listed as top preferences, they told her they could not intervene as admissions were handled only through the centralised system. “They told me to wait until my name comes in the list, and that colleges cannot admit students on their own,” she said. Her name never appeared on the list.

Introduced to streamline and increase transparency in admissions to undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), PhD and diploma programmes across state universities, the GCAS is facing growing resistance from students, colleges and political groups. Stakeholders say the centralised system is leading to delays, confusion and uneven outcomes rather than simplifying admissions.

Currently, 15 state universities and 16 private universities are part of GCAS, according to the official portal, gcas.gujgov.edu.in, even as Gujarat has more than 70 private universities overall.

Launched by the state government in 2024, the system has faced pushback from several state universities, many of which preferred to continue with their earlier admission processes, such as entrance tests or direct admissions. However, education experts say state universities have had little choice but to adopt the centralised system.

GCAS ‘too complicated’

Vagela said even minor errors can cause problems in applications, with little support to resolve them. “If we make a mistake in the online form, there is no proper guidance. There are no help desks to clearly explain what went wrong. Colleges say everything is online and they do not have access to the data.” She plans to apply again in 2026 but has already lost a year because of the process.

In this instance, heads of educational institutions agree with applicants. SN Iyer, principal of RH Patel Arts and Commerce College, affiliated to Gujarat University, said the system has made admissions more difficult for both students and institutions. “The process is too long and too complicated. Even if a college is right next to a student’s house, they cannot take admission directly. They have to go through GCAS,” he said.

He pointed out that mismatches are common, with students sometimes being allotted colleges they never intended to join while others miss out on nearby options. “So both, those who are allotted and those who do not, have to suffer,” he said.

According to Iyer, this leads to a prolonged and fragmented admission cycle, with as many as 36 rounds last year, continuing till November, even though the Class 12 results were declared by the end of May. The GSEB HSC 2026 results were declared today.

The delays, he said, have directly affected academic schedules. “Earlier, [undergraduate] classes could begin within 15 days. Now we are starting by September-end. Some students are admitted just before internal exams without attending a single class,” he said, adding that teaching had to begin with only a fraction of enrolled students while admissions continued for months.

He said the system has several loopholes, including the absence of clear cut-off rounds and the ability for students to keep changing their choices. He added that colleges cannot admit students unless they are allotted through GCAS.

Iyer also argued that there is little real competition, as the number of available seats often exceeds the number of applicants. He said the earlier decentralised systems where universities handled their own admissions were more practical.

He added that offering too many options without guidance by the state can confuse students. “When you give too many options without proper guidance, students become directionless,” he said.

GCAS seat allotment, blocking

Ashish Dave, principal of Samarpan Arts and Commerce College, Gujarat University Gandhinagar, said one of the most significant issues last year was students’ seat blocking on the GCAS portal.

He said many applicants filled preferences across multiple colleges but eventually took admission in private universities without withdrawing from GCAS. “Because their names continued in GCAS till the final rounds, seats remained occupied in the system and were not available to other students,” Dave said.

He added that seats were released only in later rounds, delaying admissions for others. “By the time the centralised process moves forward, many high-merit students are already placed elsewhere,” he noted.

He added that the system has not functioned as intended. “GCAS was supposed to connect students and colleges, but instead it has taken them further away from each other,” he said. “Also, the government says that it is easy for colleges, but that does not happen practically.”

Student groups demand change

Student groups across the political spectrum have demanded change in the GCAS system.

Narendra Solanki, state president of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), said excluding private universities has created an uneven system. “GCAS is only for government universities, while private universities are outside it. This creates a major imbalance,” he said.

He said delays in the process are pushing students towards private institutions. “Students who don’t get seats in early rounds eventually move to private universities,” he said.

Solanki added that NSUI has been protesting and is demanding structural changes. “Either bring back the earlier system where colleges had autonomy, or include private universities under GCAS,” he said.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in April threatened to hold a state-wide protest over what it described as mismanagement” of the GCAS process

GCAS: ‘Borrowed model’

Manish Doshi, an academic expert from Gujarat, said the system suffers from a structural mismatch with how admissions function in practice. “The model has been borrowed, but the ground realities here are completely different,” he said, referring to similarities with the UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service), the United Kingdom’s centralised undergraduate admission system.

He said students who have just graduated Class 12 are often not familiar with online systems and rely on cyber cafes, which can lead to errors while filling preferences. He also highlighted challenges faced by students from rural and tribal areas, particularly due to poor internet access. “In many tribal regions, there is no proper network. Students have to travel to nearby towns and depend on cyber cafes, where they are charged even to check the merit list,” he said.

He said these factors make the system less effective, especially for students from rural backgrounds.

Doshi also pointed to the cost implications. “A government college may charge Rs 1,500 - 2,000, while a private university charges Rs 75,000 or more. Because of delays and uncertainty, students are being pushed towards the costlier option,” he said.

As Gujarat enters the 2026 admission cycle, many in the education sector say GCAS needs urgent fixes to balance centralisation with on-ground realities before it ends up complicating admissions instead of simplifying them. Registration on the GCAS portal is set to begin in May.