Bhubaneswar: As many as 9,034 students have been selected for admission to postgraduate courses in 135 higher education institutions across the state in the second and final round of Phase-I admissions for the 2026-27 academic session.The second-round merit list was published by the higher education department on Tuesday. Of the selected students, 6,230 are women and 2,804 are men. No transgender applicant was selected in this round.The admission process covers 21 universities and 114 colleges, which together have a sanctioned strength of 32,563 seats. Officials said a total of 58,613 applicants had applied for PG admissions, of whom 50,901 were found eligible for consideration. As many as 37,303 applicants completed the choice-locking process.In the first round, 21,121 students were selected, of whom 8,446 completed their admissions. Another 8,601 students opted for the slide/float option, allowing them to be considered for other preferences in the subsequent round. As the second round is the final selection round of Phase-I admissions, students selected now will not have the option to slide or float. They will have to freeze their allotted seats and complete the admission process within the stipulated deadline, officials added.Selected applicants can pay the admission fee, wherever applicable, online till 4 pm on Aug 20. They will then have to download their intimation letters and report to the allotted higher education institutions between Aug 18 and 20, from 10 am to 5 pm, to complete admission formalities.