Bhubaneswar, July 8:The Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE), Odisha, on Wednesday released the first-round merit list for Plus II (Class XI) e-admissions for the 2026–27 academic session, with over 4.29 lakh students securing seats across different streams.

According to the Directorate, 4,29,219 out of 4,61,325 applicants have been selected in the first phase, taking the overall selection rate to 93.04 per cent.

Among the selected candidates, 2,76,925 have been allotted seats in the Arts stream, 1,21,494 in Science, 19,844 in Commerce, 6,134 in Upashastri, and 4,822 in Vocational Education.

The selected students comprise 2,00,493 boys, 2,28,675 girls, and 51 candidates from the 'Others' category. Notably, 2,74,454 students have secured admission to the higher secondary school of their first preference.

A total of 32,106 applicants could not be accommodated in the first round and will be eligible to participate in the second phase of admissions and the subsequent spot selection process.

Among higher secondary schools, Ravenshaw Higher Secondary School, Cuttack, recorded the highest cut-off marks across major streams, with 93.40 per cent in Science, 82.40 per cent in Commerce, and 81 per cent in Arts.

In the Vocational Education stream, the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Dharamgarh, Kalahandi, registered the highest cut-off at 74.67 per cent, while Gurukul Sanskrit Higher Secondary School, Chakapad, Kandhamal, topped the Upashastri stream with a cut-off of 57 per cent.

The Directorate further said that of the 4,26,406 students who applied through the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, 3,95,681 have secured seats in the first round of admissions.

Classes for the first year of Plus II across higher secondary schools in the state are scheduled to begin on July 23.