The National Testing Agency (NTA) has responded to growing concerns from CUET-UG 2026 aspirants after several candidates reported being allotted examination centres outside their preferred cities.
Following student grievances over centre allotments in several states, the agency has allowed candidates to opt for alternate available centres. Students can apply for a change of city or state by May 7, 11:50 pm.
According to official data released by the NTA, 96.6% of candidates have been allotted one of their preferred exam cities, while 79% secured their first-choice city. However, nearly 3.4% of applicants were assigned centres outside their selected preferences due to capacity constraints in high-demand regions.
The reallocation facility is now available on the official CUET portal, cuet.nta.nic.in, on a first-come, first-served basis.
WHY DID SOME CANDIDATES NOT GET THEIR PREFERRED CENTRES?
The NTA clarified that the issue is largely linked to the enormous scale and complexity of conducting CUET-UG 2026, which has become one of the largest computer-based entrance examinations in the world.
This year, 15,68,866 candidates registered for the examination, generating 67,56,321 test instances as students selected an average of 4.31 subjects each, with a total of 12,906 unique subject combinations being conducted across 35 shifts nationwide.
The agency explained that centre allocation is not merely based on city preference. Instead, every candidate must be matched according to three major constraints simultaneously:
The allotment of the examination city and shift depends on the candidate’s preferred examination city, the selected subject combination, and the specific shift in which those subjects are scheduled.
In cases where the demand for a particular city–subject–shift combination exceeds the available computer-based testing (CBT) infrastructure, candidates may be allocated to nearby or alternate cities.
WHICH STATES FACED THE HIGHEST PRESSURE?
The NTA highlighted that nearly 43% of all CUET registrations came from just three states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi. Together, these states accounted for 6,74,352 registrations, nearly 29,93,554 effective test instances, and around 9,922 subject combinations.
This high concentration of candidates created significant pressure on available computer-based testing (CBT) centres, particularly in major urban locations where demand far exceeded capacity. Officials stated that although the infrastructure in these regions is extensive, the number of seats available for specific subject combinations and shifts remains limited.
WHAT RELIEF HAS NTA PROVIDED TO AFFECTED STUDENTS?
To address concerns, the NTA has opened a special reallocation window for candidates who did not receive any of their preferred cities.
Affected students can now log in to the official CUET website and select from vacant centres available in alternate cities. The process began on Wednesday and will operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
The agency has urged candidates to complete the process quickly to secure the best possible option.
WHAT SHOULD CUET ASPIRANTS DO NOW?
Students affected by the allotment issue should visit the official CUET website, log in to their account, and use the “Selection of Revised Exam State/City/Date/Shift” option to choose alternate available preferences.
Candidates are advised to submit their revised choices at the earliest, save the confirmation page, and regularly check official NTA updates.
WILL THIS IMPACT CUET-UG 2026 EXAM PREPARATIONS?
While the issue has caused anxiety among students and parents, the NTA has assured candidates that all efforts are being made to minimise inconvenience and maintain transparency in the examination process.
The agency’s latest clarification indicates that the challenge is not administrative negligence alone, but also the result of an unprecedented volume of registrations, diverse subject combinations, and limited CBT infrastructure in high-demand areas.
With the reallocation window now open, affected candidates are expected to receive alternate options that can help them appear for the examination without major disruption.
As CUET continues to expand as India’s largest undergraduate entrance examination, experts believe future editions may require additional testing infrastructure and more decentralised exam capacity to prevent similar allocation issues.
