Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is one of the most popular and preferred choices for pursuing higher studies. Many students believe it provides the right academic environment for those aiming to crack the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Going by figures available with the UPSC from 1974 to 2014, JNU - after Delhi University - had the largest number of students successfully qualifying the exam. During those 40 years, a total of 7,890 students from JNU appeared for the civil services exam out of which 1,236 made it to the merit list, marking a success rate of 16.95 per cent. In the first five years since its inception in 1969, less than 10 students appeared in the exam out of which only one qualified, in the year 1974. Between 1975 and 1985, as many as 882 candidates appeared and 182 qualified for various civil service posts offered by the commission. Year Appeared Passed 1975-84 882 182 1985-1994 2912 425 1995-2004 2048 296 2005-2014 2049 333 In the 10 years from 1985-1994, the participation rate rose over three times as nearly 3000 JNU students appeared for the exam. Out of these, 1986 proved to be a successful year, with 57 of the 334 candidates qualifying the exam. This till date is also the maximum number of students from JNU that qualified in a year. The number of students that appeared from 1995 to 2004 and 2005 to 2014 were more or less similar, but the success rate majorly varied. Between 1995-2004, JNU students recorded a 14.45 per cent success rate in the exam, which improved to 16.25 per cent in the 10 years that followed. There is no data available for the years after 2014 either with the UPSC or the university. However, there were no reports indicating the university fared poorly in those years. Moreover, the numbers available from 1975 to 2014 show that students who graduated from Delhi University performed better than other universities students. The UPSC Civil Services 2021 topper, a JNU alumnus, credited the university for her success in the exam.. “I gained insights about this exam while I was pursuing my master's at JNU. That was when my preparation for UPSC actually began. The university provides you with the right study environment and infrastructure as well as the supportive faculty to begin your UPSC preparation,” Shruti Sharma said. Pausumi Basu, IAS, another JNU alumni who qualified the UPSC CSE in 2017 also believes that it was the university that introduced her to the exam and ignited the passion to crack it. “I pursued my master's, MPhil and PhD from JNU. Before joining the university I was academically focused but had no clue about this exam. Only after I shifted to JNU that I started developing an interest and started preparing for UPSC. Thanks to my peers and faculty,” Basu said..
