The Film and Television Institute of India Students’ Association (FTIISA) has accused the institute of violating the Union Government’s reservation policy and making arbitrary changes in the FTII Entrance Test 2024-25.
The association has demanded that the ongoing admission process be paused until the issues are addressed.
In a press release issued on Sunday, the student body alleged that “new rules are arbitrarily introduced without involvement or proper intimation to students.” They questioned whether the institute’s current admission procedure “adheres to the Central Government’s Reservation Policy.”
According to FTIISA, the FTII entrance test lacks consistency in both scheduling and design. The test includes two written papers - an objective Paper-I and a subjective Paper-II - together forming Stage 1. Only those who qualify in Paper I are evaluated for Paper II. Based on the total marks from both papers, candidates are shortlisted in a 1:4 ratio for Stage 2.
Stage 2, called the Mixed Format Assessment, evaluates candidates through practical, analytical, and performance-based tests. It carries 70% weightage in the overall result. This year, Stage 2 was conducted online for the first time since 2019, a move students say compromised “the quality and integrity of the assessment.”
FTII released the final merit list for both its Film and TV wings on October 17, 2025. Students soon pointed out anomalies - including a case where a reserved-category candidate appeared on the general waiting list but was not selected under their own reserved category.
Following student objections, the institute issued a revised merit list on October 24. The new list changed several candidates’ rankings. FTII decided to retain previously selected students while adding those whose marks had been “previously wrongly calculated.” However, the FTIISA claimed that “new issues have been realised in the revised list by students.”
The association also flagged irregularities in admissions to the MFA in Cinema (Screen Acting) program. FTII admitted 23 students instead of the 16 seats mentioned in the prospectus, calling it a “clerical error.” The revised merit list now shows category-wise admissions as: OBC-NCL (7 seats, 30%), EWS (4 seats, 17.39%), SC (2 seats, 8.7%), ST (1 seat, 4.35%), and General (9 seats, 39.17%).
FTIISA said that this so-called “clerical error” unfairly reduced seats for reserved categories. They also questioned how FTII “chose to increase seats from 16 to 23” and why no official explanation was given. Similar issues, the association noted, were reported in two other courses in the Film Wing.
The students further criticised the administration for publishing only roll numbers of Stage 2 candidates without disclosing their reservation categories. They demanded that FTII release the Cumulative Rank List (CRL) for both stages with complete category-wise data.
“Due to the lack of transparency, candidates now question if such a discrepancy might have happened at Stage 1 and if some candidates might have been omitted due to FTII’s ‘clerical error’,” their statement read.
FTIISA also alleged ambiguity in the way the institute handles reservation during Stage 1. The “freezing” of reserved-category status, they said, is neither documented nor officially communicated. The association stated that when deserving candidates from reserved categories scored higher, their candidature was restricted to reserved lists, calling it a blatant misuse of vertical reservation.
The Students’ Association has presented eight key demands, beginning with an immediate halt to the admission process until all discrepancies are addressed. They have called for the publication of Stage 1 and Stage 2 results with external experts’ signatures and detailed category markings. They have also urged FTII to include all deserving candidates if further errors are discovered.
Additionally, FTIISA has sought a clear explanation of how the final merit list complies with the FTII Prospectus 2024-25 and the Union Government’s reservation policy. The association has demanded that candidates be allowed to indicate their seat preferences only after the release of the final merit list, not during registration.
Among other requests, students have proposed forming an external reform committee comprising representatives from FTIISA and the institute’s SC/ST cell to review the entire admission process. They also want student representation in FTII’s Executive Council.
“The FTII admission process lacks transparency,” the statement concluded, urging accountability, reform, and fairness for all applicants.