912 seats remain vacant in Haryana’s MDU, fresh admissions invited

A total of 912 seats in various postgraduate degree, PG diploma and certificate programmes at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, have remained vacant for the 2026-27 academic session, prompting the university to invite fresh online applications.

The last date to apply for admission against the vacant seats is September 16.

Of the total vacancies, 640 are in postgraduate degree programmes, 100 in PG diploma programmes and 172 in certificate courses. The vacant seats are spread across various teaching departments, institutes and centres of the university.

Among the postgraduate programmes, M.Sc Mathematics under the self-financing scheme has the highest number of vacancies at 116. It is followed by the two-year MBA (General) programme at the Gurugram campus with 60 seats and MA Sanskrit with 42 seats.

MTTM has 30 vacant seats, while M.Sc Statistics has 26. Other programmes with vacant seats include M.Tech Manufacturing Automation (24), M.Sc Biochemistry (22), M.Sc Agriculture Biotechnology (15), M.Sc Microbial Biotechnology (15) and M.Sc Genetics (12).

In the PG diploma category, 24 seats are vacant in Agricultural and Rural Development, while Karamkand and Translation (English-Hindi-English) have 22 vacancies each. Computational Biology and Genetic Counselling have 11 vacant seats each, while PG Diploma in Guidance and Counselling has 10.

Among certificate courses, Natural Farming: An Integrated Approach has the highest number of vacancies at 40, followed by Waste Management and Indian Administration with 24 each. AI&ML in Pharmaceutical Sciences has 22 vacant seats, while Spanish Language and Indian Culture and History have 20 and 17 vacancies, respectively.

MDU Vice-Chancellor Prof Milap Punia attributed the vacancies to several factors, including changing student preferences and a growing inclination towards skill-based and job-oriented courses amid concerns over employability.

“The expansion of institutions and academic programmes has outpaced local demand, while the introduction of postgraduate courses in affiliated colleges has further widened the choice available to students. A growing preference for entrepreneurship and self-employment is another factor,” he said.

Prof Punia said students preparing for competitive examinations were increasingly opting for distance and online learning programmes while simultaneously joining coaching institutes to prepare for various examinations.

He also pointed to a shift between academic programmes. According to him, some students enrolled in postgraduate courses are moving to B.Ed programmes after securing admission, particularly those seeking careers in school teaching.