Boards Cancelled: How this affects your study abroad plans

With the CBSE Board announcing the cancellation of the pivotal Grade 12 final examinations in a bid to provide relief to students during the pandemic, several State Boards have followed suit and more are expected to follow. If you’re a candidate for an international degree, you might be stumped as to what this may imply for you. As counselors, we note the implications of this decision - and hope to break some good news for you.

The Board exams have now been replaced by “well-defined objective criteria”, according to the Government’s notification on the same. The CBSE Board will follow a 30:30:40 criteria, with 30% of weightage given to the Grade 10 Board exam results, 30% to Grade 11 final results, and 40% to the Grade 12 Pre-Board or internal assignment results (flexibility for which has been given to schools). The results are to be announced before July 31st.

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What does this mean for students applying abroad?
With around 14 lakh students who would take Grade 12th CBSE Boards, of which a significant portion will apply abroad, there is now the possibility that even more students may meet the eligibility criteria set by foreign universities, as these will not be contingent on Board results anymore.

January 2021 has already seen over 10.9 lakh Indian students enrolled in universities abroad - a number that was expected to rise this year with students who had deferred their 2020 admits or were awaiting a relaxation in pandemic restrictions around the world.

As the scope of the marking criteria has been increased, there is a slight chance that universities might introduce a foundation course or prerequisite program that applicants would need to complete before they can be offered admission. The latest ruling may also not do justice to the students who are already applying for external exams and courses, having thought that these may be preferred in place of a variable predictive score. For future test takers and aspirants, it also reiterates the importance of academic consistency and continuous assessment throughout the school year, not merely during Boards.

What will be the impact of this possibility on country-specific applications?
UK, Ireland, Australia: The term commencement dates for universities in the UK and Ireland are usually in September-October, with many institutions requiring academic transcripts and final scores before they can make an admission offer. Now that there is a confirmed marking process and date for the release of results, students can breathe a sigh of relief about their application timeline.

The only challenge we can see here is if universities rescind their conditional offers due to the updated grades the student has received. Many students bank on the Board finals to showcase their academic strength while not preparing as intensively for their internal assessments or Grade 10/11 exams. Their new scores may not reflect their academic potential accurately and may not meet university cut-offs. While the CBSE Board has stated that those who are unsatisfied with the new marking scheme can take the Board exams later when the pandemic regulations ease, this is not feasible for international applicants who are already operating on a tight timeline.

US & Canada: As universities in these regions accept students with unconditional offers from the get go, there may not be as much of a hiccup, provided that the student relays the complexity of the situation to the university.
In Canada, some universities like McMaster and Waterloo are providing unconditional offers on the basis of their predictive scores. Here too, the process would continue as usual, and the new marking system could still be applied for scholarship applications that depend on the student’s scores.

As a student, what can you do at this time?
Proactive communication is key! Write to the university and the relevant authorities, explaining the new developments in the Board exam scenario. Check with your school to see what marking scheme they are opting to follow in terms of the 40% weightage for Grade 12 assessments. If you have been placed on a waiting list, ensure that you send out periodic emails to register your continued interest and detail all the newly added information or updates in your profile and application status.

In the meantime, you can network and liaise with other international aspirants, university connections, and industry figures to ensure that you are kept in the loop about what could change, how others are evaluating and adapting to the circumstances, and any other opportunities that you can avail of while you wait.

To the undergraduate and graduate students who are poised to head overseas this admission cycle, I would strongly recommend that you get started on your Visa process. This is the most important thing to tick off your checklist, so begin getting your documents in order and be in touch with Embassies to follow up on any updates, confirm your vaccinations, and meet all the other parameters for valid entry. Now that the Centre has offered a clear date for the marks to come in, you can progress in a planned manner. Mark your calendars - set your university dreams in motion!