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Delhi University's Kirori Mal College (KMC) introduced Project Samaavesh, a program that seeks to promote inclusiveness and empowerment for visually impaired students in the National Capital Region (NCR).

One of the most important aspects of the project is the Samaavesh Eyeway Helpdesk, which will be established on the KMC campus next week. The helpdesk will cater to all visually impaired students within the NCR, regardless of whether or not they are studying at DU.

"The intent of the project is to bring about inclusion. One of the large-scale objectives is counselling, but we also intend to impart technological knowledge, improve personality development, and enhance employability," said Prof. Someshwar Sati, English department faculty of KMC and coordinator of the Centre for Disability Research and Training (CDRT).

The project, which was worked on in association with the Score Foundation, also evidences KMC's aim to popularize disability studies as a subject, an effort first taken up by the CDRT in September 2021.

Principal Dinesh Khattar stressed at the first session that diversity needs to be "a lived experience" on campus and in the classroom. Students have hailed Project Samaavesh as a major step in creating safe environments, eradicating prejudices, and offering inclusive care for those with impairments. The move was also hailed as a progressive step for higher education by Rajesh Aggarwal, secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

The launch of Samaavesh is timely when access to higher education is being more sharply focused. By merging counselling, technology, and skill development, KMC's program may be used as a model for inclusive higher education at Indian universities.

A chaos sweep engulfed students in Nagpur after numerous who showed up for BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) exams found B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce) mark sheets handed to them instead. The mistake is said to have been made at Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), sending the students into shock and leading them to report to university authorities with written grievances.

As per reports, at least three colleges' second-semester BCom (NEP) students were also reported absent in some papers, despite having attended the summer examinations. The results were announced earlier this month after a three-month delay.

Adding to the misunderstanding, numerous students who felt that they were studying in the BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) programme discovered their marksheets being released under BCom (Bachelor of Commerce), with "Business Administration" specified as a subject. This caused generalized misunderstanding, with the students assuming that their results were incorrect, according to the media reports.''

Nagpur University permitted colleges to include Business Administration as a major under the BCom degree, while the BBA programme comes under AICTE rules, involving more stringent permissions and increased fees. Avoiding this, several colleges opted to admit students for BCom with Business Administration as a major.

The year also saw the first instance of the exam department of the university conducting and processing exams independently with the new 50:50 examination formula instead of the earlier college-based system. The new mark sheets contain nine assessment modules, making things even more challenging for students who are not aware of the modifications.

According to a report in TOI, Deputy Registrar Manish Zodpe upheld that absentee errors have been resolved. He further mentioned that most of the students were not aware of the new NEP exam scheme and recommended that they cross-check their course details with their respective colleges to dispel any doubt.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has proposed new regulations that could radically change the experience of international students in American universities. The plan would substitute the existing duration of status (D/S) system with specific admission durations of F-1 (students), J-1 (exchange visitors), and I (foreign media) visas. The changes have brought about serious concerns on the part of educators and students, particularly the Indian students.

Fixed stay 

Instead of being admitted for an entire duration of an academic program,international students would be entitled to up to four years. In the case of English-language programmes, the stay would be no longer than 24 months; in the case of public high-school students, no more than 12 months. J-1 visitors might remain for up to four years meanwhile I- visa visitors would be restricted to 240 days in total, and Chinese journalists to 90 days.

Extension Requirement To Study More

To study further than the predetermined restriction would mean re-applying to USCIS, submission of new documents, biometric information, and possibly subject to greater scrutiny. The inability to submit extensions in a timely manner may attract the unlawful presence, which leads to the imposition of 3- or 10-year re-entry bans.

Loss of Academic Flexibility 

Limitations of Switching Programme or Major: First year undergraduate F-1 students in the first year are not allowed to switch majors or university unless in exceptional circumstances. Students would not be able to switch programmes altogether at the graduate level. Once having completed a degree, students could not immediately start a new programme, either at the same or at a lower level, under the same visa, which would bar, e.g., a person from having two bachelors degrees in the U.S.

Impact on Career Shifts: The experts claim that the rules overlook practical academic and career realities, like retraining to change careers or developing new skills, which prevail in rapidly developing sectors such as technology and the creative industries.

Tighter monitoring and “virtual checkpoints” 

More paper work and more difficult work pathways. There will be an increase in the number of forms that students and post-doctoral researchers will have to file in the course of their studies. Opponents refer to these extra requirements as virtual checkpoints.

The new rules could interrupt work opportunities for students on Optional Practical Training (OPT). Extensions will become more difficult to get, and delays will leave students with no legal work authorization even with valid permits.

How are People Reaction to This?

• U.S. immigration lawyers and university associations claim that this proposal will introduce more bureaucracy to an already highly scrutinised student population by SEVIS.
• Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, warns that the changes will create a “sea of administrative delays” and could push talented international students to choose other countries over the U.S.
• Indian students, over 330,000 in the U.S., nearly a third of all international students, face greater uncertainty and financial and career obstacles if the changes take effect.

Next Steps and Legal Challenges

On August 28, 2025, the regulation will be published in the Federal Register and will have a 30-day period of public comment. Education administrators and law observers presume that, should the rule be adopted, strong resistance and even legal battles are probable.

This restructuring, which will check so-called visa abuse, may negatively impact the capacity of the U.S. to receive the best world talent because the biggest group, besides China, are Indian applicants who are closely watching the developments and making informed decisions in the current era. 

Delhi University (DU) has provided a big chance to old students to finish their unfinished degree. Students will be able to provide a maximum of four papers under special opportunity by filling the online application till 15 September 2025.

There is some good news for those Delhi University students who had discontinued their undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), or professional course studies in between for whatever reason. DU has again brought a special opportunity. That is, old students will be able to finish their left-out degrees now. 

For whom will the benefit be?

This chance is particularly for those students who admitted in graduation (UG) between 2012 to 2019 or postgraduate (PG) between 2012 to 2020. If you were connected with DU in this timeline and unable to finish your studies due to any cause, then now you have a golden chance to finish it.

Until when do I need to apply?

As per the notification released by DU, the process of application is initiated. Interested applicants may apply online until 11:59 pm on 15 September 2025. No application will be accepted after that.

Special opportunity got for the fourth time

This chance is a part of special centenary year program of DU (2022). Previously too the students have received this chance three times and now the application process has been launched for the fourth time. Students who have an incomplete degree will be able to apply for a maximum of four papers. After applying, confirmation and verification process at college, faculty and department level will be finalized by September 19.

How to apply?

Old students will need to come to this portal to finish their degree:

http://durslt.du.ac.in/DuExamForm_CT100/StudentPortal/IndexPage.aspx

Those students who wish to take a special opportunity under the centenary year can apply here: http://durslt.du.ac.in/DuExamForm_CT100/Login.aspx

The fee will be accepted only in online mode and after payment, it won't be refunded under any condition.

Those students who had appeared in the previous special opportunity (Chance-1, 2 and 3) but are still unable to complete the degree may also apply. Such candidates will have to pay Rs 5,000 per paper and uploading their previous admit card and earlier result will be required while applying.

15 September is the last date for submitting the form. Verification will go on until 19 September. Once the fee is paid, no refund will be made at any cost. Students can submit applications for a maximum of four papers only.

In a bold response to the announcement of a 50% tariff on Indian products by the U.S., Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal, the Chancellor of LPU and a member of the Rajya Sabha, banned American soft drinks, including Coca-Cola, in the LPU campus, a big private university of 40,000 students. This action marks the initiation of Swadeshi 2.0 movement. It aims at protecting the economic independence of India and criticizing the U.S. government on its hypocrisy and bullying.

At the Constitution Club of Delhi, on Ganesh Chaturthi, Dr Mittal said that LPU was sending a very strong message of swadeshi moment. He compared this boycott to the 1905 Swadeshi movement that reduced British imports as India sought its independence.  

Mittal stated, “If our forefathers could challenge colonial powers with the Swadeshi movement, we too can resist modern economic pressures. India will not be cowed down,” invoking our leaders like Bipin Chandra Pal, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Aurobindo Ghosh who ignited the original Swadeshi spirit. 

At LPU, the ban is already established. It is finding wide support in India, says Mittal. He blames the U.S. over the way it attacked India yet they continued to trade with Russia. He cautions that a national Swadeshi 2.0 would be damaging to the U.S. economy.

Although the U.S. is the largest export partner of India (87.4 billion dollars in 2024), the economy of India is robust and dominated by internal consumption- nearly 60 percent of GDP to domestic expenditure. Economists reckon the U.S. tariffs would reduce the GDP of India by 0.20% to 0.90%. To counter this, the government intends to do a series of reforms such as GST adjustments and growth enhancing policies.

India and the United States have been experiencing increasing tensions in their trade, and the boycott at LPU demonstrates a tendency toward economic self-sufficiency and just trade. The demand of Swadeshi 2.0 by Mittal is more of a broader demand of India to enjoy greater freedom in global trade with a rising degree of protectionism. 

As a policy shift, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) raised the CAT percentile cut-offs for its highly sought-after Post Graduate Programme (PGP) and PGP-FABM for the 2026–28 batch. The move reflects a better weeding-out process for India's most premium management seat.

Accordinmg to the admission policy of 2026-28, candidates from the General and EWS categories must now score a minimum of 95 percentile overall and at least 85 percentile in each section of the Common Admission Test (CAT)—namely Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).

"Part of it is to make the shortlisting process more competitive and subtle," Prof Karthik Sriram, Chairperson of Admissions, IIMA, explained. He added that the institute would like to shortlist only the academically most competent candidates to the next rounds—Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI).

Revised Minimum CAT Percentiles by Category:

General & EWS: 95 overall | 85 in each section

NC-OBC: 90 total | 80 in each section

SC: 85 total | 75 in each section

ST: 75 total | 65 in each section

PwD: 75 total | 65 in each section

ST-PwD: 65 total | 55 in each section

In particular, transgender candidates of the General category will be dealt with according to NC-OBC standards.

Weightage in Final Selection:

Personal Interview (PI): 50%

Analytical Writing Test (AWT): 10%

CAT 2025 Score: 25%

Application Rating (AR – academics & profile): 15%

The CAT 2025 examination is to be held on November 30, 2025, across 170 cities, and the registration window is open until September 13, 2025.

This is bound to increase the intensity of competition among candidates competing for a seat in India's top B-school, since displaying severe scholastic discipline and a good profile will now have higher stakes.