Presidency University this year will admit students based on their board marks, the admissions committee of the institute decided on Thursday.

The committee decided that the merit lists for all subjects, except statistics and economics, would be prepared based on marks in the Class X and Class XII board exams, an official said. Students aspiring to study economics and statistics honours will be admitted based on their plus-II board marks.

“Due to the prevailing COVID-19 impacted situation, difficulties in conducting an admission test were discussed…. All members unanimously decided to prepare a merit list... based on marks obtained by a candidate in her/his Madhyamik/equivalent (10th standard) and Higher Secondary/ equivalent (10+2 standard) examinations,” reads a resolution of the admissions committee.

Registrar Debajyoti Konar said the eligibility criteria would be announced soon. Vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia said they wanted to keep as many screening layers as possible. “The teachers had proposed that the secondary exams marks be considered,” Lohia said.

For physics honours, the marks in math and the average marks in physical science and life science in Madhyamik or marks in the science group in equivalent exams will be added to the aggregate and the marks in math in the plus-II exams. For chemistry honours, the average marks of physical science and life science in Madhyamik or marks in the science group in equivalent exams will be added to the marks in chemistry, math and English in the plus-II exams.

The Bengal HS council could not hold tests in physics and chemistry because of the pandemic. Each student had the best marks in the other papers awarded to the two.