Gandhinagar, June 2 : Gujarat government has announced an additional special round of five admission cycles under the Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS) platform. This decision follows the completion of eight rounds (two phases) of counselling and the observation of an unprecedented surge in student participation.

The announcement was made during a comprehensive review meeting chaired by Higher and Technical Education Minister Rushikesh Patel in Gandhinagar.

According to official figures, as of July 3, more than 3.22 lakh students have been verified on the GCAS portal, with 2.97 lakh receiving admission offers.

Of these, nearly 2.25 lakh students have already confirmed their seats ' marking a 32 per cent increase compared to the 1.70 lakh admissions confirmed by the same date last year.

The GCAS is a unified online platform launched by the Government of Gujarat to streamline and centralise the undergraduate admission process across the state's 15 government universities.

Designed to ensure transparency, efficiency, and accessibility, GCAS allows students to register, verify documents, receive merit-based college offers, and confirm admissions ' all through a single portal.

The system enables real-time data sharing with universities, respects institutional autonomy in seat allocation, and offers location-based preferences to students, ensuring equitable access to higher education in both rural and urban regions of Gujarat.

To ensure no eligible candidate is left behind, the government has decided to open registration for this special round until July 3, and the admission process will be carried out between July 7 and July 11 across five rounds.

The minister urged all students, especially those who missed earlier rounds, to take full advantage of this final opportunity.

Notably, GCAS streamlines the admission process for 15 government universities across Gujarat. Once a student registers on the portal, their data is forwarded to the respective university, which independently conducts admissions based on merit and regulations.

The state government has clarified that if a student fails to report to a college during the offer window, it is up to the university ' not the government ' to decide whether to offer the seat again in subsequent rounds.

Importantly, college allotments are merit-driven and locality-based: Students are offered seats in colleges closer to their selected zones ' rural students in nearby rural institutions, and urban students in their local city colleges, ensuring equitable access across regions.

/IANS