Delhi University’s fourth-year undergraduate students are facing significant challenges and widespread confusion due to sudden rule changes, limited course options, and teacher shortages. These issues stem from the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which extended the existing three-year degree programs to four years. Many students, two months into their final year, report inconsistent guidelines across colleges and inadequate resources for their chosen academic tracks.
Sudden Rule Changes Impact Student Plans
Students who opted for a fourth year, often for research or specialized projects, have encountered unexpected policy shifts. Ankita Singhal*, a psychology student at Lakshmibai College, meticulously maintained a 7.8 CGPA, confident it met the research dissertation requirement. However, two months into her fourth year, the college unexpectedly raised the minimum CGPA to 8.0. Students below this threshold were reassigned to academic writing groups. Singhal described this mid-session change as “absurd.”
This situation is not isolated. Delhi University released updated assessment guidelines for research, translation, and entrepreneurship options in late October, well after the semester began. Language students, for instance, only then learned about translation as a fourth-year option. College-specific interpretations of university rules further complicate the process, with policies varying greatly between institutions.
Resource Shortages Limit Options
Colleges struggle with increased teacher workloads and a lack of infrastructure. This resource deficit means many fourth-year options, promised on paper, are unavailable in practice. Entrepreneurship, for example, is unknown in many DU colleges. Miranda House does not offer entrepreneurship or academic writing tracks. Teachers express concerns, with one quipping, “Everything looks great only on paper.”
Teacher shortages also affect course availability. Lakshmibai College could not offer psychology as a General Elective (GE) due to insufficient faculty. Students who chose the fourth year to pursue a minor found their GE choices limited or delayed, sometimes allotted in October for December exams.
The Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) Explained
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 introduced the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), extending bachelor’s degrees from three to four years. Students can exit earlier with a lesser degree. In DU, students must earn 22 credits in both the seventh and eighth semesters, totaling 176 credits over four years. The curriculum includes one Discipline-Specific Core (DSC) and offers three options:
- Three Discipline-Specific Electives (DSE)
- Two DSE and one Generic Elective (GE)
- One DSE and two GE
The academic writing, dissertation, or entrepreneurship component accounts for six credits. Students completing the fourth year receive a Bachelor (Honours with Research, Academic Project or Entrepreneurship) in their main discipline. A “Major” is awarded in the core discipline. Students completing at least seven GE courses in a second discipline, earning 28 credits, also receive a “Minor” in that subject.
Inconsistent Research and Assessment
The execution of research dissertations also shows inconsistencies. While some colleges permit dissertations in a ‘minor’ discipline, others, like Rajdhani College, insist on the core discipline. At St. Stephen’s College, academic writing is an individual project, whereas other colleges assign group work.
Teachers, like Debraj Mookerjee, an English professor at Ramjas College, question the quality of research possible under current constraints. Students must produce dissertations in six months alongside compulsory coursework and attendance. Ayush Nirala, a BA (Hons) Political Science student, worries about the quality of his research paper, citing time pressures. Professors also lack clarity on guidelines, with one noting, “There are changes everyday.”
Semester VII Assessment Guidelines:
The university’s new guidelines outline assessment parameters for the seventh semester, contributing to a total of 240 marks. These include:
- Identification of research problems
- Review of literature
- Formulation of research design
- Commencement of data collection, fieldwork, or equivalent activities
- End-term assessment (presentation, tentative chapter list, preliminary results for science projects, and a viva-voce examination)
Students opting for translation have on-the-spot translation exercises. Separate guidelines for the eighth semester are pending.
Reasons for Opting In
Over 55% of DU students chose the fourth year. Many aim for a foreign master’s degree, which often requires 16 years of formal education. Others seek buffer time for career planning or a faster route to higher education, including direct PhD options or qualifying for the UGC NET exam immediately after graduation. Humanities and social science students more frequently opt for the fourth year, while many science students exit after the third year, according to college reports.
Concerns remain regarding the university’s preparation. Physics professor Abha Dev Habib criticized the “top-down implementation approach” and lack of readiness, questioning whether MOUs exist for entrepreneurship training. The absence of clear, consistent guidance leaves students and faculty navigating uncertain academic terrain.
*Names changed on request.