Winter semester papers rescheduled for Feb 17, 18, and 20; as many as 10,000-11,000 students to appear for exam; this clashing of election and examination dates has left several students in a limbo, affecting internship schedules.
The University of Mumbai campus in Santacruz. PIC/ASHISH RAJE
Owing to the Zilla Parishad elections, the University of Mumbai has once again postponed the semester examinations. The winter semester papers scheduled for February 4, 5, and 6 will now be held on February 17, 18, and 20. As many as 10,000-11,000 students are to appear for these examinations. Initially, the exams were slated to take place in mid-January but were first postponed owing to municipal elections. This clashing of election and examination dates has left several students in a limbo, affecting internship schedules.
“I have been interning alongside my master’s programme at the university. Every time the timetable reflected a change, I had to request a new leave, which led to problems. Moreover, I am an outstationed student. I cannot plan to go home between two semesters since the examination dates keep changing,” said an IT student while talking to mid-day on the condition of anonymity.
Another student, pursuing a master’s in philosophy, told mid-day that their batch was expecting examinations after Diwali. “Our semester curriculum was completed two months ago and now we are simply waiting for our exams to conclude. The exams were already postponed once and are now staggered. Now, I’ll be appearing for three papers in January and the rest in mid-February,” said the student. As per the students, some departments are considering beginning their fourth-semester lectures before the third-semester exams end to get the academic timetable on track. The delays have also caused troubles for those who are looking to study abroad, report students.
A 20-year-old science student told mid-day that she was keen to start applying to foreign universities this year. However, many of them required an undertaking that clarified whether the student had finished their third-year examinations. “I may have to miss this year’s intakes and will have to apply for next year. Even our dissertations, which are to take place in the last year, will be postponed, making it difficult for us to tie up with reputed organisations,” she said.
Speaking with mid-day, MU’s senate member, Dr Vijay Pawar, stated that elections have caused delays all round, not just at the university. “These delays may cause problems for those students who are in their final years. Applying to new courses and opportunities may get difficult. However, elections come around only once in five years, and then democratic duty takes priority.” MU officials said the ‘Date of Commencement’, or the exam timetable, was first released on Nov 12, 2025, even before the election dates were announced.
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