The most crucial battle of Dhaka Central University’s admissions process took place on Friday morning. The Faculty of Science entrance exam for the 2025-26 academic year was held from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, with tens of thousands of applicants taking the one-hour test for a place in the university’s four-year undergraduate programs.
The numbers illustrate the tension in the exam rooms: a total of 31,553 candidates applied for the 4,795 places in the Faculty of Science, meaning that between six and seven candidates competed for each spot—the fiercest competition among the university’s three faculties.
But the day wasn’t over yet for DHAKA. In the second session, the Faculty of Business Studies entrance exam was held from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, where 11,244 applicants competed for 1,997 places. The allocation of places for both faculties has been available on the university website since July 14th.
The Rules That Decide Who Gets In
For the candidates now anxiously replaying their answers, here’s how the evaluation works:
- The test is in MCQ format
- A candidate needs a minimum of 40 marks to pass the admission test
- Passing alone doesn’t guarantee the dream department: to be eligible for a desired subject, a candidate must score at least 5 marks in the designated subject of that department
In other words, a good overall score but poor performance in the key subject for your chosen department can still cost you the desired position. Your ranking, your choice list, and your subject grades will all work together to determine who gets where.
A Season of Five-to-Seven Candidates Per Seat
Friday’s exam completes the picture of an intensely competitive admission season at DCU. The university is admitting 11,290 first-year students across its three units this session, and every unit has been oversubscribed several times over:
- Science Unit: 31,553 applicants for 4,795 seats — about 6.6 per seat
- Arts and Social Science Unit: 23,365 applicants for 4,498 seats — about 5 per seat
- Business Studies Unit: 11,244 applicants for 1,997 seats — about 5.6 per seat
The Arts and Social Sciences Unit exam was held on the afternoon of July 11, a day that university hopefuls won’t soon forget. A torrential downpour lashed the capital for hours before the exam, and candidates, along with their tutors, suffered greatly trying to reach the exam centers through flooded streets. Compared to that ordeal, Friday’s candidates had a much more manageable journey.
Applications for all units were submitted online through the university’s website (www.dcu.ac.bd) with an application fee of Tk 800.
What Happens Next
With the written tests wrapping up, candidates should keep an eye on these steps:
- Results — The university will publish the admission test results on its website; candidates can check using their admission roll and credentials. We will report the result publication date as soon as DCU announces it
- Merit list and subject choice — Qualified candidates will be called according to merit for department allocation based on their choice lists and subject-wise marks
- Keep your documents ready — Admit card, SSC and HSC mark sheets, and photographs will be needed at the admission stage; losing the admit card now can create real hassle later
- Trust only dcu.ac.bd — As with every admission season, fake merit lists and “confirmed admission” scams appear on Facebook within days. The university website and official notices are the only sources that count
A Word to the Candidates
If you did well on Friday’s exam, congratulations! Start seriously considering your list of choices, because with a minimum passing score of 40 and fierce competition at universities across the country, strategy is just as important as your grades. If you didn’t do well, remember that this is just one university among many in an admissions season that’s only just beginning. One tough hour on an exam doesn’t define your future.
We’ll keep you updated on the results, merit lists, and DCU admissions schedule as soon as they’re released, along with all the other college admissions news for this season. Good luck to the more than 42,000 applicants who took the DCU exams today.
