Bhubaneswar, 25 March (H.S.): The Common PG Entrance Test (CPET) 2026 will commence on May 5, 2026, according to a notification issued by the Department of Higher Education Odisha. The entrance examination will be conducted from May 5 to May 18, 2026.

For the academic session 2026–27, a total of 58,708 candidates have applied for admission to 31,915 postgraduate seats in universities and colleges across the state.

The application process for the entrance examination was carried out through the Student Academic Management System (SAMS) portal between February 27 and March 22, 2026. The applicant data will be handed over to the State Selection Board Odisha on March 26, 2026, for further processing.

Admit cards for the examination will be released on April 30, 2026. Candidates will be able to download their admit cards from the official website of the State Selection Board starting that day.

Admission to postgraduate courses will be based on the marks secured by candidates in the CPET examination.

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Department has set a target to begin postgraduate classes in universities and colleges across Odisha by July 10, 2026, for the upcoming academic session.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda