HSC Students with Statistics Barred from DU Business Unit

Science and humanities students who took statistics as an optional subject in HSC or equivalent exams are ineligible to apply for Dhaka University’s (DU) Business Studies Unit in the 2025–26 undergraduate program. The unit has 120 seats for science and humanities applicants, but for the first time, these students cannot apply.

Aspirants and parents accuse DU administration, particularly Business Studies Faculty Dean Professor Dr. Mahmud Osman Imam, of a hasty decision that excludes statistics students from the exam. “This shrinks higher education opportunities,” they said, adding that a petition has been submitted to the Vice Chancellor.

Imam, the unit’s chief coordinator and acting dean, told The Daily Campus, “We decided in a meeting to exclude statistics from this year. The lower HSC pass rate won’t impact much—only 1–2% of applicants are affected. They can apply to other units.”

This year’s HSC and equivalent exams saw a sharp drop, with a national pass rate of 58.83%. Results were published mid-last month, and DU applications began October 29, continuing until November 16 at 11:59pm.

Sources say students take optional subjects like mathematics, biology, statistics, or geography in HSC. Mathematics is required for engineering, but not for pharmacy, bioscience, or medical studies. Most public and private universities don’t mandate mathematics for BBA programs.

Yet, this year, the Business Studies Faculty Dean unilaterally deemed statistics students ineligible. The 2025–26 circular requires science applicants to have 200-mark mathematics (compulsory/optional) and humanities applicants to have 200-mark economics.

Last year’s 2024–25 circular allowed mathematics or statistics for science, and economics or statistics for humanities. The change has left statistics students out of DU’s Business Studies Unit.