To attract a larger pool of applicants, many private and autonomous colleges in Bengaluru have opened admissions for their undergraduate programmes months ahead of the usual schedule. Institutions that typically begin the process only in late January and some even after February, have already started accepting applications for degree courses this year. While a few colleges said the early start was meant to streamline their admissions cycle, which involves written tests, interviews and rounds of verification, many also admit the move was driven by competition, as they feel compelled to keep pace with peer institutions that have already started their application windows. A senior official from Christ (Deemed-to-be University) said, “The college advanced its timeline after noticing that others had already opened admissions.” “Every year, colleges in Bengaluru start early, so we decided to follow the general trend,” the official said. Christ has for the first time opened applications in late October, instead of the usual December or January.  A representative from Mount Carmel College (MCC) said the institution advanced its admissions cycle because competing colleges had already done …