Story · Education
Admitted, then the same exams: four of seven rules checked after admission are the same for SC students
Does reservation in higher education stop at admission, or do the rules after it differ for Scheduled Caste students?
Key takeaways
- The 2006 Act reserves 15% of seats for SC students at admission to central institutions; none of its sections deals with classes, examinations or degrees. Exhibit 1
- After admission, four of the seven rules checked are the same for SC students, including the marks needed for the degree at IIT Delhi and JNU, the pass mark for the medical degree (MBBS) and the PhD coursework. Three IIT Delhi rules set a lower mark for SC students: credits earned by the end of the first year to continue; grade point average to change branch after the first year; grade point average to keep the assistantship. Exhibit 1
- The Bar Council of India’s qualifying mark in its bar examination is 40% for SC candidates and 45% for others; the medical licensing examination, deferred since July 2023, sets one pass mark for all. Exhibit 1
- At the IITs’ PhD admissions, SC candidates were 11.8% of applicants and 10.1% of those accepted in 2021-22, below the 15% reserved. Exhibit 2
- SC students were 14.2% of the 33,979 students the Ministry counted as dropping out of central institutions in 2019 to 2023; the answer gives no enrolment, so no rate. Exhibit 3
- After the degree, the Civil Services Examination counts candidates who need no relaxation as general merit: 63 SC candidates in 2006 to 2009, the only years with a published count. Exhibit 5
- Candidates on general merit can take a reserved vacancy at allocation to get a service they rank higher; in 1999, 10 of the 10 SC candidates on general merit did. Exhibit 6
- At the IITs, 1.0 of every 100 SC undergraduates admitted in 2016 to 2020 dropped out or withdrew, against 0.7 of every 100 students. Exhibit 4
- No answer since 4 Dec 2023 gives dropout figures by category. Exhibit 7
What the rules set for Scheduled Caste (SC) students and for students outside the reserved categories at each stage, from admission to central institutions to the degree and the licence to practise, from the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, the University Grants Commission’s PhD regulations, the National Medical Commission’s rules, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi’s and Jawaharlal Nehru University’s rules and the Bar Council of India; and what the Ministry of Education has told Parliament (the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, its lower and upper houses) about students who left central institutions: IIT undergraduates, 2016 to 2020, and seven kinds of central institution, 2019 to 2023; and how many SC candidates the Civil Services Examination selected on general merit, 2006 to 2009.
- rules checked after admission are the same for SC students
- 4 of 7
- of dropouts the Ministry counted, 2019 to 2023, were SC students
- 14.2%
Exhibit 1
Of seven rules checked after admission, four are the same for SC students, including every one a student must meet for the degree; three, at IIT Delhi, ask less of SC students, as does the Bar Council’s qualifying mark to practise law
What each rule sets for Scheduled Caste students and for students outside the reserved categories, from admission to the degree and the licence to practise, India, rules in force in 2026 unless the row says otherwise. ST is Scheduled Tribe, OBC is Other Backward Classes and PwD is Persons with Disabilities, where a rule names them. JEE (Advanced) is the Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced), the entrance examination for the Indian Institutes of Technology; MBBS is the medical degree, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.
Table of 13 rules: Seats reserved at admission to central educational institutions: SC students 15%, others none reserved; JEE (Advanced): marks to enter the rank list for IIT admission, each subject and aggregate: SC students 5% and 17.5%, others 10% and 35% (common rank list); IIT preparatory course: a one-year course, passed or failed, before joining the B.Tech. on a reserved seat left vacant: SC students open to SC, ST and PwD candidates, others not open; PhD admission: marks in the master's degree to be eligible: SC students 50% (55% less a 5% relaxation), others 55%; IIT Delhi B.Tech.: credits earned by the end of the first year to continue: SC students 19, others 23; IIT Delhi B.Tech.: grade point average to change branch after the first year: SC students above 7.00, others above 8.00; IIT Delhi dual degree: grade point average to keep the assistantship: SC students 6.75, others 7.0; IIT Delhi B.Tech.: degree grade point average to graduate: SC students 5.0, others 5.0; JNU master's: grade point average to continue after the second semester, and for the degree: SC students 3.00, then 4.00, others 3.00, then 4.00; MBBS: marks to pass a subject in the university examination: SC students 50% in aggregate, at least 40% in theory and in practical, others 50% in aggregate, at least 40% in theory and in practical; PhD: marks in the coursework to continue and submit the thesis: SC students 55%, others 55%; Medicine: marks to pass the National Exit Test, the licensing examination (deferred since 13 July 2023): SC students 50% in each paper, others 50% in each paper; Law: marks to qualify in the All India Bar Examination, needed to practise: SC students 40%, others 45%.
Stage Rule SC students Students outside the reserved categories Same for both? Where it is set Admission Seats reserved at admission to central educational institutions 15% none reserved Differs Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, Section 3(i) Admission JEE (Advanced): marks to enter the rank list for IIT admission, each subject and aggregate 5% and 17.5% 10% and 35% (common rank list) Differs JEE (Advanced) 2026 Information Brochure, Clause 22, table of minimum marks for inclusion in the rank list Admission IIT preparatory course: a one-year course, passed or failed, before joining the B.Tech. on a reserved seat left vacant open to SC, ST and PwD candidates not open Differs JEE (Advanced) 2026 Information Brochure, Clause 28 Admission PhD admission: marks in the master's degree to be eligible 50% (55% less a 5% relaxation) 55% Differs UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022, Gazette of India, 7 November 2022, Regulation 3(1) After admission IIT Delhi B.Tech.: credits earned by the end of the first year to continue 19 23 Differs Courses of Study 2024-2025, Undergraduate Programmes Rules, Clause 1.6(a) and Table 5 After admission IIT Delhi B.Tech.: grade point average to change branch after the first year above 7.00 above 8.00 Differs Courses of Study 2024-2025, Undergraduate Programmes Rules, Clause 1.9(a) After admission IIT Delhi dual degree: grade point average to keep the assistantship 6.75 7.0 Differs Courses of Study 2024-2025, Undergraduate Programmes Rules, Clause 1.11 After admission IIT Delhi B.Tech.: degree grade point average to graduate 5.0 5.0 Same Courses of Study 2024-2025, Undergraduate Programmes Rules, Clause 1.2.3 After admission JNU master's: grade point average to continue after the second semester, and for the degree 3.00, then 4.00 3.00, then 4.00 Same Ordinance relating to the award of M.A., M.Sc. degrees (Ordinance 15(A), Executive Council resolution 6.1 of 9 May 2014), Clauses 9.1 and 9.2; clause 12 bars relaxing them After admission MBBS: marks to pass a subject in the university examination 50% in aggregate, at least 40% in theory and in practical 50% in aggregate, at least 40% in theory and in practical Same Compendium 2020-2023, Volume 1: Competency Based Medical Education Guidelines 2023 and the NMC's answers on them, CBME Guidelines 2023, as amended on 1 September 2023 (answer 10) After admission PhD: marks in the coursework to continue and submit the thesis 55% 55% Same UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022, Gazette of India, 7 November 2022, Regulation 9(3) Licence Medicine: marks to pass the National Exit Test, the licensing examination (deferred since 13 July 2023) 50% in each paper 50% in each paper Same National Exit Test Regulations, 2023, Pass criteria for NExT Step-1 Licence Law: marks to qualify in the All India Bar Examination, needed to practise 40% 45% Differs Press release on the result of the All India Bar Examination XXI, 18 July 2026, Press release, page 1; the AIBE-XX release of 7 January 2026 puts OBC candidates with General at 45% Note: These are the rules of the institutions and regulators named, not of every university: each university sets its own examination rules, and only IIT Delhi’s and JNU’s were read. The Bar Council figures are the cut-offs its result press release says were fixed, out of 100 marks; for the June 2026 examination its Monitoring Committee then lowered both by 3 marks. For the previous examination (AIBE-XX, result of 7 January 2026) the result was worked out on 95 marks, so the qualifying marks were 43 for General and OBC candidates and 38 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Both releases are scans, read off the page images, and the rule that sets the cut-offs was not found.
Source: the Act, regulations, institute rules and Bar Council press release named in each row, with its clause, each listed under Sources with its date. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 11 Oct 2026. Exhibit 2
At the IITs’ PhD admissions in 2021-22, SC candidates were 11.8% of applicants and 10.1% of those accepted; 15% of seats are reserved for them
SC candidates as a share of PhD applications received and of applications accepted, and the share of applications accepted, SC and all candidates, %, Indian Institutes of Technology, 2016-17 to 2021-22.
Table: IIT PhD admissions by year. 2016-17: SC 10.8% of applicants, 9.4% of accepted; accepted 3.3% of SC applications, 3.8% of all; 2017-18: SC 11.8% of applicants, 8.9% of accepted; accepted 3.3% of SC applications, 4.4% of all; 2018-19: SC 12.1% of applicants, 8.8% of accepted; accepted 3.0% of SC applications, 4.2% of all; 2019-20: SC 12.1% of applicants, 8.9% of accepted; accepted 3.2% of SC applications, 4.4% of all; 2020-21: SC 11.8% of applicants, 10.1% of accepted; accepted 3.1% of SC applications, 3.6% of all; 2021-22: SC 11.8% of applicants, 10.1% of accepted; accepted 3.1% of SC applications, 3.6% of all.
Year SC share of applications SC share of accepted SC applications accepted All applications accepted 2016-17 10.8% 9.4% 3.3% 3.8% 2017-18 11.8% 8.9% 3.3% 4.4% 2018-19 12.1% 8.8% 3.0% 4.2% 2019-20 12.1% 8.9% 3.2% 4.4% 2020-21 11.8% 10.1% 3.1% 3.6% 2021-22 11.8% 10.1% 3.1% 3.6% Note: Shares are worked out from the counts the answer prints; the script checks each acceptance rate it prints against them. Applications accepted are not the same as students who joined, and one candidate may apply to several IITs. The answer gives as reasons “better employment opportunities”, family reasons for earning after graduation, and fellowships smaller than salaries.
Source: Lok Sabha, starred question 259, answered 21 Mar 2022. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 11 Oct 2026. Exhibit 3
SC students were 4,823 of the 33,979 students the Ministry of Education counted as dropping out of central institutions in 2019 to 2023, or 14.2%
Students who dropped out, all and SC, and the SC share, by type of central institution, India, 2019 to 2023 added together, in the answer’s order.
Table: dropouts by type of institution, 2019 to 2023. Indian Institutes of Technology: 1,068 SC of 8,139, 13.1%; Indian Institutes of Management: 188 SC of 858, 21.9%; National Institutes of Technology: 875 SC of 5,623, 15.6%; Indian Institutes of Information Technology: 124 SC of 803, 15.4%; Schools of Planning and Architecture: 5 SC of 56, 8.9%; Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research: 139 SC of 1,046, 13.3%; Central universities: 2,424 SC of 17,454, 13.9%.
Type of institution Dropouts, all students Dropouts, SC students SC share of dropouts Indian Institutes of Technology 8,139 1,068 13.1% Indian Institutes of Management 858 188 21.9% National Institutes of Technology 5,623 875 15.6% Ministry of Law and Justice institutions 0 – – Indian Institutes of Information Technology 803 124 15.4% Schools of Planning and Architecture 56 5 8.9% Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research 1,046 139 13.3% Central universities 17,454 2,424 13.9% All 33,979 4,823 14.2% Note: The answer gives no enrolment, so no dropout rate can be worked out, and it does not say how it defines a dropout. It says most dropouts are in postgraduate and PhD programmes, mainly for jobs in public sector enterprises and “better opportunities elsewhere”; in undergraduate programmes it names “wrong choices filled, poor performance and personal and medical reasons”. 2023 is part of a year, and central universities show 0 for it.
Source: Rajya Sabha, unstarred question 657, answered 26 Jul 2023, Annexure II. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 11 Oct 2026. Exhibit 4
At the 23 IITs, 1.0 of every 100 SC students admitted to undergraduate courses in 2016 to 2020 dropped out or withdrew, against 0.7 of every 100 students
Undergraduate students admitted, and students who dropped out or withdrew, SC and all students, 23 Indian Institutes of Technology, 2016 to 2020 added together.
Table: IIT undergraduates, 2016 to 2020. SC students: 9,542 admitted, 95 dropped out, 1.0 per 100. All students: 63,443 admitted, 445 dropped out, 0.7 per 100.
Students Admitted Dropped out or withdrew Per 100 admitted SC students 9,542 95 1.0 All students 63,443 445 0.7 Note: Dropouts in a year are set against admissions in the same years, not followed student by student, so this is a ratio, not a dropout rate for a group of students. The answer is for undergraduate courses only and gives the reason as “securing seat in other departments or institutions of students choice or on any other personal ground”. Two IITs’ admission rows look shifted by a column as printed (IIT Palakkad, in Kerala, and IIT Jammu, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir); without them the figures are 0.9 per 100 SC students and 0.7 per 100 students.
Source: Rajya Sabha, unstarred question 1969, answered 5 Aug 2021, Annexures I and II. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 11 Oct 2026. Exhibit 5
In the Civil Services Examinations of 2006 to 2009, 63 SC candidates were selected on general merit, 15 in 2006, 19 in 2007, 11 in 2008 and 18 in 2009
SC candidates recommended by the Union Public Service Commission in the general category, by examination year, Civil Services Examination, 2006 to 2009.
Columns by examination year: 2006: 15 SC candidates of 58 SC, ST and OBC candidates selected on general merit; 2007: 19 SC candidates of 96 SC, ST and OBC candidates selected on general merit; 2008: 11 SC candidates of 90 SC, ST and OBC candidates selected on general merit; 2009: 18 SC candidates of 114 SC, ST and OBC candidates selected on general merit.
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2009
Note: The Ministry of Personnel’s count of SC, ST and OBC candidates “selected in general category (called general merit)”: 58 in 2006, 96 in 2007, 90 in 2008 and 114 in 2009, of whom these were SC. Its 2005 row prints “32 1 31” without saying whether the 1 is an SC or an ST candidate, so 2005 is left out. The answer says these candidates “are allotted service as per CSE Rules”. No later count of the same kind was found.
Source: Lok Sabha, unstarred question 2177, answered 9 Mar 2011, part (a). Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 11 Oct 2026. Exhibit 6
In the 1999 Civil Services Examination, all ten SC candidates recommended on general merit were placed on SC vacancies at service allocation, to get a service they ranked higher
SC, ST and OBC candidates recommended on general merit, and how many of them the Government placed on vacancies reserved for their category when allocating services, Civil Services Examinations of 1997 and 1999.
Table: 1997, OBC: 49 on general merit, 47 placed on reserved vacancies; 1999, OBC: 30 on general merit, 24 placed on reserved vacancies; 1999, SC: 10 on general merit, 10 placed on reserved vacancies; 1999, ST: 3 on general merit, 2 placed on reserved vacancies.
Examination Category Recommended on general merit Placed on reserved vacancies Stayed on unreserved vacancies 1997 OBC 49 47 2 1999 OBC 30 24 6 1999 SC 10 10 0 1999 ST 3 2 1 Note: The rule, Civil Services Examination Rules 2012, Rule 16(2): “While making service allocation, the candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Classes recommended against unreserved vacancies may be adjusted against reserved vacancies by the Govt., if by this process they get a service of higher choice in the order of their preference.” A candidate placed this way is counted against the reserved vacancies; the 2001 answer says this “inflated the reserved list” by 36 candidates in 1999. These are the only two years for which an answer gives the count; the general-merit counts in the exhibit above are from before allocation.
Source: Lok Sabha, unstarred question 4038, answered 19 Apr 2000 and unstarred question 5460, answered 29 Aug 2001; the rule as quoted in unstarred question 3971, answered 5 Sept 2012. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 11 Oct 2026. Exhibit 7
Since 4 Dec 2023, the Ministry of Education has answered seven questions on dropouts with no figures; four say there is “no concept of Drop Out in Higher education”
Answers by the Ministry of Education in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on students leaving central institutions, whether each gives figures by category, and its key sentence, 2021 to 2026, oldest first.
Table of 13 answers: Rajya Sabha unstarred question 1969, 5 Aug 2021: gives figures; Lok Sabha unstarred question 3977, 28 Mar 2022: gives figures; Rajya Sabha unstarred question 3857, 6 Apr 2022: no figures; Rajya Sabha unstarred question 3223, 29 Mar 2023: gives figures; Rajya Sabha unstarred question 657, 26 Jul 2023: gives figures; Lok Sabha unstarred question 188, 4 Dec 2023: gives figures; Lok Sabha unstarred question 2240, 5 Aug 2024: no figures; Rajya Sabha unstarred question 2594, 18 Dec 2024: no figures; Rajya Sabha unstarred question 3558, 2 Apr 2025: no figures; Lok Sabha unstarred question 3647, 11 Aug 2025: no figures; Lok Sabha unstarred question 1485, 9 Feb 2026: no figures; Lok Sabha unstarred question 2402, 3 Aug 2026: no figures; Lok Sabha unstarred question 3451, 10 Aug 2026: no figures.
Answered Question Figures by category? Key sentence 5 Aug 2021 Rajya Sabha, unstarred question 1969 Yes “The drop out/withdrawn is mainly on account of securing seat in other departments or institutions of students choice or on any other personal ground.” 28 Mar 2022 Lok Sabha, unstarred question 3977 Yes “The data of dropped out students of Other Backward Class, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe category of Central Universities is not maintained centrally.” 6 Apr 2022 Rajya Sabha, unstarred question 3857 No “there is no concept of Drop Out in Higher education” 29 Mar 2023 Rajya Sabha, unstarred question 3223 Yes “securing seat by the students in other departments / institutions of their choice or on any personal ground” 26 Jul 2023 Rajya Sabha, unstarred question 657 Yes “the maximum number of dropouts is in Postgraduate and Ph.D programmes” 4 Dec 2023 Lok Sabha, unstarred question 188 Yes “securing seat by the students in other departments / institutions of their choice or on any personal ground” 5 Aug 2024 Lok Sabha, unstarred question 2240 No “Students also move out on being offered placement/employment while pursuing higher studies.” 18 Dec 2024 Rajya Sabha, unstarred question 2594 No “there is no concept of Drop Out in Higher education” 2 Apr 2025 Rajya Sabha, unstarred question 3558 No “there is no concept of Drop Out in Higher education” 11 Aug 2025 Lok Sabha, unstarred question 3647 No “there is no concept of Drop Out in Higher education” 9 Feb 2026 Lok Sabha, unstarred question 1485 No “there is no concept of Drop Out in Higher Education” 3 Aug 2026 Lok Sabha, unstarred question 2402 No “Students also move out after being offered placement/employment while pursuing higher studies.” 10 Aug 2026 Lok Sabha, unstarred question 3451 No “Occasionally, students, after joining an institute, leave and join some other institute within India or abroad.” Note: Answers found by searching the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha question records for dropouts from central institutions; an answer the search missed is not here. Questions answered without figures asked for them by category, institution or year.
Source: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the answers named in each row. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 11 Oct 2026.
What’s next
The next update
We will update these figures on a new answer in Parliament or a change in the rules. This is version 1.
What the data can’t tell us yet
Whether SC students are more or less likely to leave a course: no published record gives dropouts and enrolment by category for the same students.
What you can do
- Cite this piece.
- Ask the Ministry of Education (Department of Higher Education) for dropouts and enrolment by category for each central institution, year by year since 2023, under the Right to Information Act: rtionline.gov.in.
- Found an error? Tell us how to correct it.
About this data
- What this shows
- What the rules set for SC students and for others at each stage from admission to the licence to practise, and how many SC students the Ministry of Education counted as dropping out of central institutions.
- Source
- Parliament of India; Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, organising institute; University Grants Commission; Indian Institute of Technology Delhi; Jawaharlal Nehru University; National Medical Commission; Bar Council of India; Rajya Sabha; answer by the Ministry of Education, Government of India; Lok Sabha; answer by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India; Lok Sabha; answer by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, 28 documents, Section 3(i), Clause 22, table of minimum marks for inclusion in the rank list; Clause 28, Regulation 3(1); Regulation 9(3), Clause 1.6(a) and Table 5; Clause 1.9(a); Clause 1.11; Clause 1.2.3, Clauses 9.1 and 9.2; clause 12 bars relaxing them, CBME Guidelines 2023, as amended on 1 September 2023 (answer 10), Pass criteria for NExT Step-1, Press release, page 1; the AIBE-XX release of 7 January 2026 puts OBC candidates with General at 45%, Annexures I and II and Annexure II. Analysis by The Dalit Project, as on 11 Oct 2026. Every source
- What it does not show
- Whether SC students are more or less likely to leave a course: no published record gives dropouts and enrolment by category for the same students.
- Last updated
- 11 Oct 2026 · Next expected update: on a new answer in Parliament or a change in the rules
- Corrections
- Changelog (version 1) · Corrections policy