Bhubaneswar, 22 June (H.S.) : The Higher Education Department on Monday released the first merit list for admission to undergraduate (UG) programmes under Phase-I of the admission process for the academic session 2026–27. A total of 1,78,782 students have been selected for admission in the first round across higher education institutions in the state.

This year, 2,37,200 students had applied for admission against 2,87,327 seats available in various undergraduate programmes across Odisha. Out of the 1,78,782 students selected in the first round, 69,182 are boys, 1,09,591 are girls and 9 are transgender students.

The Arts stream accounted for the highest number of selections with 1,12,822 students, followed by 43,693 students in Science, 15,624 students in Commerce, 3,371 students in Shastri programmes, 3,245 students in self-financing courses and 167 Students in Law programmes.

Among the highest cut-off marks recorded in the first merit list, Ravenshaw University registered 94.50 percent in Political Science under the Arts stream. In the Science stream, the highest cut-off stood at 96.50 per cent for Physics under Physical Science and 94.83 per cent for Zoology under Biological Science, both at Ravenshaw University. The highest cut-off in Commerce was 89.17 per cent at Ravenshaw University.

In the Shastri stream, the highest cut-off was 67.57 per cent at Brajakishore Sanskrit Degree College, Garhbishnupur. For self-financing courses, the highest cut-off was 92 per cent in Computer Science at BJB Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar, while the highest cut-off in Law was 89.40 per cent for the five-year Integrated BA LL.B. programme at Madhusudan Law University.

Students selected in the first merit list and opting for the “Freeze” option will have to complete their admission process by reporting to their allotted institutions from 23rd June to 25th June . Candidates choosing the “Slide” or “Float” option are required to deposit the admission fee for their allotted seat and await the second-round selection list.

The department has also introduced the “Alter” option, enabling students who have secured admission in their first-preference institution but wish to modify their choices to do so through OTP-based verification.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda