St Xavier's College, an autonomous institution affiliated to CU, and Jadavpur University have been distributing the forms from May 28.

A directive was issued to the colleges to start distributing the forms together, said a senior CU official.

"According to a University Grants Commission (UGC) guideline, colleges affiliated to the same university must follow a uniform calendar. Starting distribution of forms together is the first step in that direction," added the official.

Like previous years, most colleges will make the forms available online. Very few have kept open the option of distributing paper copies of their application forms.

The application fee can be paid online or directly at a bank. Scottish Church College, for example, allows the fee to be deposited at any branch of Axis Bank.

For some colleges, the forms have to be submitted online and even the merit list will be uploaded on the website. A student need not enter the premises before the classes begin.

"The arrangement suits everyone. The students do not have to wait in a queue in the sun for hours to collect and submit the form. The college, too, can conduct the whole exercise with fewer staff members, which is important because the summer vacation is on at many institutions," said D. Kundu, the bursar of Scottish Church College.

The online format has also made screening of applications easier, he added.