Mangaluru: Mangalore University on Monday began admitting students to its postgraduate programmes for 2016-17 on the basis of provisional mark sheets as the university has not yet issued original mark sheets to those who passed the sixth semester undergraduate exams conducted in April-May 2016.

The centralised counselling which began at Mangala stadium ends on August 16.

Counselling for programmes under commerce and management streams was conducted on Monday. It was for the candidates under the selection list. The counselling for candidates in the waiting list and self financing category would be conducted on Tuesday.

The students were admitted to M.Com, MBA (Tourism Administration), MBA (International Business), and MHRD programmes on the university campus, at its postgraduate centre in Chkka Aluvara, Kodagu, and at its two constituent colleges in Mangaluru and Madikeri.

The chairpersons of the departments agreed to admit the students on the basis of a circular issued by the Registrar (Administration) on Saturday. It read: “It is informed that the provisional marks cards (downloaded from the university website) submitted by the students along with their application produced on the day of counselling shall be considered for admissions to various post graduate courses for 2016-17”.

It is said that the chairpersons were not ready to take the risk of admitting students on the basis of provisional mark sheets unless there was a written instruction from the Registrar (Administration) as it might lead to legal complications later.

A teacher at the counselling centre said that some principals had not signed the provisional mark sheets. Such students were admitted by taking an undertaking from them that they would produce the original mark sheets once the university issued it.

A.M. Khan, Registrar (Evaluation), told that the original mark sheets would be dispatched to all colleges within this weekend.

He said that the provisional mark sheets issued had a unique number introduced from this year and the original marks cards would have it too. Chairpersons could compare the provisional sheets with the original mark sheets based on the unique number.

Mr. Khan said that 857 students who had appeared for sixth semester examinations had applied for re-evaluation of their answer scripts after announcement of results. Their results have also been announced and uploaded on the website. Of them 493 were commerce students. The results of re-evaluation were ready during the time of counselling, he said.

Of the 427 seats, including general category and reserved seats for NCC, NSS, sports, Scouts and Guides and the like, under Commerce and Management streams, 249 seats were filled during the counselling on Monday.

The remaining seats will be filled on Tuesday from the waiting list. In addition, the university has 207 self-financing seats in these streams.