Lucknow, Aug 9 (IANS): Witnessing an increase of over 8 per cent compared to last year, Lucknow University (LU) this year has received a record number of applications for admission to its undergraduate courses.

According to the admission data, the university has received 48,022 applications for UG courses, which is about 8.5 per cent more than last year and about 30-40 per cent more than 2019 and 2018.

Teachers attribute the spike in admission applications to the reluctance of parents to send their children to institutions outside the state in the prevailing pandemic conditions.

Moreover, the results of most of the secondary education boards this year have been almost 100 per cent.

The LU is also offering more options and combinations of subjects as compared to the previous years.

It is among the few universities in the country which has implemented the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP) that offers vocational subjects as well as entry/exit options, thereby helping students to plan their careers in a more organised manner.

Many applicants choose LU because of the ease of applying for multiple institutions through one application. Also, this year, the application window remained open for almost five months, the longest period so far, due to the delay in the session because of the pandemic.

Dean, academic, Prof Rakesh Chandra said, "LU has been able to brand itself by scoring high in academic rankings due to better placements, quality research and teaching. We are also the first to adopt NEP."

The university has also registered an increase in applications for admission to postgraduate courses. For admission to 4,942 seats, a total of 24,397 applications have been received, which is 26 per cent more as compared to last year.