Cutoff Analysis: DU, JNU, and BHU Trends
Understanding historical cutoff trends allows a student to set realistic percentile targets and identify which programmes are genuinely reachable with their current trajectory. CUET cutoffs are published by each university after the exam based on the normalised percentile scores of admitted students — not raw marks.
Delhi University (DU): DU uses CUET scores as the primary admissions criterion across all its colleges and programmes since 2022. DU cutoffs vary significantly by college prestige and programme. For the most competitive programmes: BSc Physics Honours at St. Stephen's or Hindu College typically requires 98th-99th percentile in Physics domain; BCom Honours at SRCC requires 98th-99th percentile in commerce subjects; BA (Hons) Economics requires 97th-99th percentile. Less competitive DU colleges for the same programmes may admit at 85th-90th percentile. Key insight: a student who scores at the 92nd percentile is not competitive for the top DU colleges but is well-positioned for strong mid-tier DU colleges offering the same programme.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU): JNU has a different programme mix — social sciences, languages, international studies, and sciences. JNU's admission formula historically combines CUET score with an entrance test (JNUEE), but post-2022 shifts have increased CUET weighting for some programmes. JNU MA programmes in subjects like Economics, History, and International Relations are highly competitive, typically requiring 95th+ percentile CUET plus strong JNUEE performance.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU): BHU uses CUET for undergraduate admissions to its constituent colleges. Cutoffs at BHU are generally 5-10 percentile points lower than comparable DU programmes — meaning a student at 88th-92nd percentile who misses DU cutoffs may be well-positioned for BHU's equivalent programmes. For Medicine (MBBS) and BTech programmes, BHU requires NEET/JEE scores respectively, not CUET — CUET applies primarily to BA/BSc/BCom programmes.
Variability and hedging: cutoffs fluctuate year to year based on cohort composition, paper difficulty, and seat availability. A university that required 98th percentile in Year 1 may require 96th percentile in Year 2 if fewer top-scoring students applied to that programme. Planning for ±2-3 percentile variability is essential — do not aim at exactly the cutoff of your target programme.