Class XI admissions for the 2026 academic year are set to continue on the basis of SSC and equivalent examination results, rather than a general admission test.
Professor Syed Akhtaruzzaman, chair of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee and the Dhaka Education Board, said the proposed rules would bring no major change to the previous process.
He said a draft policy retaining result- or marks-based admission had been sent to the Ministry of Education’s Secondary and Higher Education Division.
Applicants would submit centralized online applications and be selected using their examination results and preferred institutions.
Under the recent system, applicants have listed between five and 10 preferred colleges or equivalent institutions, with applicable quotas also considered in nominations.
A final decision on quota provisions still requires ministry-level policy consideration.
SSC and equivalent examination results are scheduled for publication on August 10, after the previously planned July 20 release was postponed because education boards had not completed preparations.
The revised result date has also delayed the start of the admission process, and a new timetable has yet to be finalized.
Colleges and madrasas nationwide have more than 2.6 million seats for Class XI, while more than 1.857 million candidates registered for this year’s SSC and equivalent examinations.
More than 25,408 candidates were absent on the first day of examinations across 11 education boards, and further absences occurred later in the examinations.
The gap between seats and registered candidates indicates that many Class XI seats may remain vacant, although the total will depend on the examination results.
The centralized process does not cover every institution: Notre Dame College is identified as an exception, while the precise range of other exempt institutions is not consistently specified.