Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday revised the admission schedule for undergraduate (+3) courses for the 2026–27 academic session under the Student Academic Management System (SAMS), with first-year classes set to commence from July 27.
As per the revised timeline released by the Higher Education Department, the new schedule applies to all state public universities, government, aided, and unaided colleges, as well as law colleges.
The revised schedule comes after the government introduced free education for students enrolling in regular mode UG and PG courses under SAMS from this academic year.
Eligible applicants will be allowed to reopen and modify their college and subject preferences on the SAMS portal from 2 pm on July 8. The preference-editing facility will remain available until 11:45 pm on July 12.
Students who have already applied under the Phase-I admission process can update their choices during this period by selecting their preferred institutions and major subjects. The facility has been introduced to provide applicants with an opportunity to review and revise their preferences before the next stage of seat allotment.
The Department has also introduced a programme category selection option for applicants after OTP verification. Candidates will have to choose from Regular Mode Programmes, Self-Financing Mode Programmes, or both categories while finalising their preferences.
Under the Regular Mode category, students will not be required to pay admission fees as per the Government’s Fee Waiver Scheme. However, candidates opting for Self-Financing Mode Programmes will have to bear the admission expenses.
The Department has further clarified that students who secured seats in Regular Mode courses during the first round of allotment and had already deposited admission fees will receive refunds in their bank accounts linked with their Common Application Form (CAF). The refund process will be carried out after completion of the Phase-I admission process, subject to the fulfilment of the prescribed attendance criteria.
According to the revised admission calendar, the provisional allotment result for the second round will be published on July 20. Candidates selected in this round will be able to complete online fee payment and report to their allotted institutions between July 21 and July 23.
The third and final round of seat allotment will be announced on July 29, while admissions under this round will continue until August 1.
For students who remain without allotment, the Department has planned a Waiting/Spot Admission Round. The list of eligible waitlisted applicants will be released on August 4, followed by physical reporting, document verification, publication of merit lists, and completion of admissions between August 5 and August 11.
Meanwhile, first-year undergraduate classes across participating higher education institutions will begin on July 27, ensuring that the academic calendar remains on schedule.
The Department has also stated that the Phase-II admission process will begin after the declaration of the CHSE Instant/Supplementary Examination results.
For further details regarding the admission process, students can visit the official SAMS portal or contact the e-Admission Helpline through the toll-free numbers 155335 and 1800-345-6770.
