Chandigarh, Feb. 14 -- Having a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) as your cousin or distant relative will no longer help you secure a Panjab University (PU) seat, as a major policy shift has been affected ahead of the 2026-27 admission cycle. The varsity has restricted admissions under its NRI quota to only first-degree blood relatives - spouse, children, sibling and grandchildren.

Earlier, even applicants whose distant relatives or cousins were NRIs or foreign nationals could seek admission through this quota at a higher fee and lower academic threshold.

PU's latest decision comes in wake of a 2024 Supreme Court ruling, which upheld the striking of the expanded eligibility to distant relatives while cautioning that such broad interpretations c...