Bhubaneswar: Odisha Higher Education Department has released the first merit list for admission to undergraduate (UG) courses for the 2026–27 academic session.
Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, emerged as the most sought-after institution, registering the highest cut-off marks across several streams. According to official data, against a total sanctioned seat strength of 2,87,327, as many as 2,37,200 students had applied for admission.
Of these, 1,78,782 candidates have been selected in the first round. Among the selected candidates, 1,09,591 are female students, 69,182 are male students, and nine are transgender applicants, reflecting strong participation by women in higher education admissions this year.
The highest number of selections was recorded in the Arts stream, which accounted for 1,12,822 students. Science followed with 43,693 selections, while 15,624 students were selected in Commerce.
A total of 3,371 students were selected in the Shastri stream, 3,245 in self-financing courses, and 167 in Law programmes. At Ravenshaw University, highest cut-off in Arts was 94.50 per cent for Political Science. In Science, the highest cut-offs were 96.50 per cent in Physics under Physical Science and 94.83 per cent in Zoology under Biological Science.
The university also recorded the highest Commerce cut-off at 89.17 per cent. In the Shastri stream, the highest cut-off was 67.57 per cent at Brajakishore Sanskrit Degree College, Garhbishnupur.
Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar (Autonomous) College, Bhubaneswar, recorded the highest cut-off of 92 per cent in Computer Science among self-financing courses.
