The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented rush of applications in most colleges in north Bengal this year as parents don’t want their wards to leave home for higher studies.

Authorities of a number of colleges in north Bengal say they have received a deluge of online applications — anywhere from twice to 10 times the number of seats available.

Siliguri College, with 2,600 seats, has already received around 10,500 applications. Surya Sen College, Siliguri, has received 8,800 applications for 3,000 seats. APC Roy Government College, Siliguri, has only 352 seats but the number of application forms has crossed 3,000. Raiganj College in North Dinajpur has received around 8,000 applications for 3,152 seats. At Dinhata College in Cooch Behar, 7,000 applications have been made for 3,000-odd seats.

An academic in Siliguri said thousands of north Bengal students move out of the region for college normally but not this time. “Because of the pandemic, most parents want their kids to stay at home and enrol in local colleges. Very few have applied to colleges in Delhi or other metros. If such a situation persists, colleges in north Bengal have to increase seats in undergraduate courses.”

Senior faculty members of colleges, however, pointed out that after merit lists come out and admission starts, the situation might improve, because most students apply in more than one college.

“As application fee has been waived in colleges and universities, students have applied in more and more colleges. So there is every chance that once actual admission starts, the number of applicants will drop in every college,” said Sujay Ghosh, the principal of Siliguri College.