More than 1.36 million seats are set to remain vacant in Class XI for the upcoming academic year, with a significant drop in the pass rate of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations.
Dhaka Education Board Chairman Professor Syed Akhtaruzzaman disclosed the figures during a press conference organised by Ministry of Education on Monday, following the publication of SSC and equivalent exam results.
Akhtaruzzaman confirmed that the admission process for the upcoming academic session will proceed under the established system, with admissions based strictly on the results of SSC and equivalent examinations.
Applications will be received centrally online, and seats will be allocated according to student merit and preference list.
The board chairman clarified that there will be no admission tests or lotteries; instead, seat allocation will follow the conventional rules based on GPA and student choices.
Under this system, which has been in place for several years, admission-seeking students must apply online, providing a minimum of five and a maximum of ten colleges or equivalent institutions in order of preference, alongside a specified fee.
A student is subsequently nominated for admission to a single institution, factoring in their academic results, applicable quotas, and preference list.
This centralised online process applies exclusively to colleges and madrasahs. Admissions to institutions under Technical Education Board are managed through a separate procedure.
Except for a few institutions, including Notre Dame College in Dhaka, almost all colleges and madrasahs across the country are covered under this unified system.
The central online admission process is conducted by Dhaka Education Board with technical cooperation of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
Following the change in government, there had been discussions regarding whether admission tests could be reintroduced for Class XI. However, the authorities have opted to maintain the existing merit-and-choice-based online system.
Providing a statistical breakdown, Akhtaruzzaman noted that the number of vacant seats during admissions in 2026 will be slightly higher than the number of students admitted in 2025.
Nationwide, there are approximately 2.5 million eligible seats available for Class XI in colleges and madrasahs.
In the previous year, 58.7 per cent of the total seats were filled, meaning 41.3 per cent remained vacant. With this year’s pass rate experiencing a further decline, the vacancy rate is set to increase.
In this year, out of a total of 1,829,485 candidates who appeared for the exams across 11 education boards, 1,138,877 students passed, while approximately 700,000 failed to clear SSC exams.
