CBSE clarifies status of OCI students for JEE exam

Putting an end to the confusion regarding the participation of OCI students in JEE exam, CBSE has notified that students with overseas citizens of India (OCI) status are eligible to appear for the JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) Test. The response comes in the wake of Right to Information (RTI) application, which sought clarity about the issue from the board after many students with OCI status were barred from taking the much coveted national level engineering entrance test.

While replying to the RTI query, CBSE stated that OCI status students were never restricted from appearing for the JEE Main test. The nation-wide entrance test enables students to seek admission to the reputed IITs, NITs and other technical institutions across the country. “The central board of secondary education (CBSE) has not restricted the wards of OCIs/ PIOs from submitting application for JEE Main and appearing for the examination. There was no restriction on the wards of the OCIs/PIOs to submit application for JEE Main and appear in earlier examinations of JEE Main 2013, 2014 and 2015,” the board said.

 However, contrary to the RTI reply from the board, the JEE 2016 information bulletin categorically bars students from seeking admission to Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs) through this test.

In reply to another RTI query regarding the number of OCI students admitted to the CFTIs through JEE Main exam, the board conveniently sidelined the question by saying that the CBSE’s role in JEE Main exam was limited to conducting the test and didn’t concern the admission process.

While many IITs and NITs have reported to admitting OCI students on the basis of their JEE Main and JEE Advanced score, the students were granted admission under the category of foreign students, which drew non-subsidized academic fees for the programme. Offering some clarity on the issue, the IIT-Bombay Director Devang K Khakar said that the OCI students can take JEE but they will be admitted as foreign students based on their performance in the nationwide test. These students are not treated at par with Indian students. Subsidised education is only available to Indian students.