Cut-offs, hostel search keep DU aspirants on their toes

New Delhi: With the onset of admission season, DU colleges are again thronged by aspirants to clear their queries and to find out about the best college and course available. While students are keeping an eye on the high cut-off marks, they are also gearing up to look for affordable accommodation.

Only 15 out of the 66 varsity colleges provide residential facilities to its students and the university also has two off-campus hostels for students — International Students House for Women (foreign students only) and Under-Graduate Hostel for Girls. Every year, over 30,000 students apply for hostels; while some manage to secure a seat in their own college hostel, life beco-mes tough for those who don’t.

The limited hostel accommodation is why students end up as paying guests or get a flat of their own.  

With a majority of the student population swaying towards DU’s North Campus, it is easy to find an ideal accommodation around the area as every second house has been converted into a PG with most of them being only for girls.  

While Kamla Nagar is the nearest location in the area offering accommodation, the rate list for the PG itself starts from Rs 12,000 and at times even goes up to Rs 20,000, including monthly rent food, electricity, Wi-fi, and CCTV cameras.

Whereas, students find Hudson Lane, G.T.B. Nagar comparatively cheaper as the price varies between Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000 ,including all basic facilities.

“Putting up in a PG as compared to an independent flat is a convenient deal as we get all the basic necessities. Hudson Lane is not only cheap, but safe due to student population and is accessible to the Metro stations and market,” second year student Geetika Jain, staying in a PG at Hudson Lane, said.

On the other hand, students who secure admission in South Campus colleges have a relatively hard time. Most of the PG accommodations in the student hub, Satya Niketan, which is famous for food joints and hang-out zones, are usually full by the first week of July.

“Not many colleges of South Campus offer such student-friendly areas like Satya Niketan where you get each and everything at one place. As soon as the first cut-off list is declared, students either call or come down to book the rooms. This has become a trend over the years and within a month, majority of the PGs become full,” Ramesh Gupta, a PG owner said.

However, with the increase in demand for PGs each year, the rent has also gone up.