LAHORE, July 18: The Punjab University (PU) has abolished the National Testing Service (NTS) entrance test and instead announced that the varsity’s 24 departments will arrange their own entrance tests for admissions to Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Science (MSc) classes, while only three departments will give tests for admission to four-year undergraduate programmes.

Up to 24 departments will not give the entrance test and process admissions on open merit, while 23 departments will finalise four-year undergraduate programme admissions also on merit.

This was announced by PU Admission Committee Chairman Prof Dr Chaudhry Jamil Anwar at a news conference at the vice-chancellor office committee room on Friday.

Prof Anwar said the 24 departments, which had decided to conduct pre-admission entrance test for admission to two-year (semester system) masters programme, were: banking and finance, information technology, sports science, earth and environmental sciences, statistics and actuarial sciences, biochemistry and biotechnology, physics, chemistry, education and research, microbiology and molecular genetics, zoology, social and cultural studies, social work, business administration, communication studies, administrative sciences, business information technology, quality and technology management, English language and literature, mycology and plant pathology, mathematics, space science, high energy physics, and integrated mountain research.

He said the departments, which had decided not to arrange entrance test for masters programme, were: arts and design, Arabic, French, Kashmiriat, Persian, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, coal technology, geology, botany, library and information science, history, archeology, political science, gender studies, geography, philosophy, law, psychology and applied psychology, Islamic studies, economics, MCom, and clinical psychology.

Prof Anwar said the entrance tests would be organised by the departments from Aug four to 16. He said an advertisement regarding the entrance test schedule would appear in newspapers in a week. The admission process to all departments including those, which would not arrange entrance test, would begin from Aug 22. The results of BA/BSc annual examination for 2008 were expected to be declared in the third week of next month, he added.

For admission to four-year BS semester system programme, Prof Anwar said that only three departments – microbiology and molecular genetics, information technology (software engineering, computer science, information technology), and clinical psychology, would hold entrance test on Aug 9, 10 and 11.

Candidates can get pre-admission entrance test forms from departments and constituent college from July 28. The last date of submission of entrance test forms to the department is Aug 4.

Prof Anwar said the final schedule of admissions would be advertised after the declaration of FA/FSc results.

With regard to MS/MPhil/PhD admissions, he said, the candidates were required to qualify the GAT test for appearing for entrance test for admission to MS/Phil/PhD. He said the university teachers had reservations about it, but the university could not negate the condition imposed by the Higher Education Commission because it funded the university.

He said the students, who had appeared and qualified the GAT, should apply for admissions to MS/MPhil/PhD classes.