CU scraps ward quota, lowers GPA bar for HSC 2025 candidates
The move follows a series of student protests in July that had earlier prompted the university to reduce the quota by two-thirds for the 2024–25 session
Chittagong University (CU) has abolished the long-debated "ward quota," the admission privilege for children of the university's teachers, officers, and staff, for the 2025–26 academic session.
The decision, taken at a recent meeting of the university's admission committee, was confirmed by Acting Registrar Professor Mohammad Saiful Islam, who said the move came in response to a longstanding student demand. "Many students have been calling for the abolition of this quota for years. The committee considered their appeal and decided to remove it entirely," he said.
The move follows a series of student protests in July that had earlier prompted the university to reduce the quota by two-thirds for the 2024–25 session. Its complete cancellation marks a major policy shift toward merit-based admission.
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Alongside this, CU has eased GPA eligibility for candidates who passed the 2025 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination. Due to what the university described as a "general decline in results" this year, the minimum GPA requirement has been reduced by 0.50 points across all units.
Deputy Registrar (Academic) SM Akbar Hossain clarified that the relaxation applies only to 2025 HSC graduates, while repeat candidates will have to meet last year's standards. Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Mohammad Shamim Uddin Khan added that the decision ensures students are not unfairly disadvantaged by this year's lower results.
Online applications for CU's 2025–26 undergraduate admission tests will open on 1 December and continue until 15 December. The tests will begin on 2 January with the 'A' unit, followed by the 'D' unit on 3 January, the 'C' unit on 9 January, and the 'B' unit on 10 January. Sub-unit exams will take place between 5 and 8 January.
This year, the minimum combined GPA threshold has also been slightly lowered across all units, with 7.75 required for the science faculty, 7.00 for humanities, 7.50 for business administration, and 7.00 for the combined unit. Students must also meet separate minimum GPA requirements in SSC and HSC.
Despite scrapping the ward quota, CU will continue to reserve places under nine other categories, including those for freedom fighters' descendants, ethnic minorities, underprivileged groups, hill tract residents, differently abled students, and athletes.
The cancellation of the ward quota, a long-contested issue within the campus, is being viewed as a landmark step toward greater transparency and equity in the university's admission process.
