NEW DELHI: For the first time in five years, the number of applications for admission into Jawaharlal Nehru University has dropped. The varsity administration said the 4.5% decline in aspirants for social sciences and general science courses was not alarming but didn't rule out the possibility of the recent political turmoil on the campus having deterred some students from applying.

The varsity has received 76,091 applications for this year's JNU entrance examination (JNUEE for general sciences and social sciences), down from 79,714 last year but higher than the 2014-15 figure.
In addition, applicants for biotechnology programmes reduced from 8,203 in 2015-16 to 6,347 this year. But applications for these courses have been dropping steadily in the past years. Cumulatively, JNU received 5,479 less applications this year for its undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes.
"We haven't yet sliced the data region-wise. That will tell us where application numbers have decreased. But 3,000-odd is nothing," said Bhupinder Zutshi, JNU's director of admissions, referring to the 3,623 fewer applications in general courses.
He, however, felt the "situation" in JNU may have deterred some applicants, especially those from north India.


JNU has been in the limelight ever since an event to protest the hanging of Afzal Guru was organised on campus on February 9.