For the first time since the Delhi University (DU) adopted the National Education Policy (NEP), undergraduate students will formally step into a fourth academic year in July. The Academic Council last week approved the curriculum for the seventh and eighth semesters, effectively setting the stage for the complete implementation of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP).
Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior DU official said, “With courses for the fourth year being cleared by the Academic Council on May 10, these will now be presented before the Executive Council on May 23. The university will tentatively begin the fourth year for students in July… Every student currently studying at DU has been enrolled under a four-year programme.”
The new curriculum offers students the option to choose between three specialisation tracks in their final year – Dissertation Writing, Academic Projects, and Entrepreneurship.
The first track is designed for those pursuing academic research, the second focuses on applied research, while the third allows students to develop entrepreneurial ideas through market research, business planning, and financial modelling. Each of these components carries 12 credits, distributed across the two final semesters.
To accommodate the expanded academic load, DU plans to implement the University Grants Commission’s “8 to 8” policy for class timings, under which classes can be scheduled between 8 am and 8 pm to maximise infrastructure use.
“Colleges like Hansraj, Kirori Mal, Hindu, and others are coming up with new structures and preparing to accommodate more students. Since the fourth year is research-oriented, we have a majority of faculty who have completed their PhDs, and we believe more teachers will be encouraged to pursue PhDs as it comes with an incentive,” the official said.
A principal from a prominent North Campus college maintained that students will be at a crossroads. “From a student’s perspective, there are now two choices – either exit after the third year and prepare for CUET-PG or CAT, or continue with the fourth year. Even after opting for the fourth year, students can choose to exit midway. Colleges need to be prepared to offer both space and resources to support these choices.”
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The principal emphasised that while this is DU’s first transition into a four-year system, it need not be overwhelming. “The student can either continue with the programme, appear for a competitive exam, or pursue avenues like public service, NCC, or Defence. Colleges should support each of these pathways,” the principal said.
Under the new structure, the total credits required for the FYUP will be 176, of which 164 are for direct teaching and 12 for research-related work. This is an increase from the credits mandated under the earlier Choice-Based Credit System. The additional 12 credits mark the formal introduction of a research component at the undergraduate level, which is central to NEP.
The principal further said that while classroom infrastructure may not be a major problem, laboratory availability will be a concern. “Research work will require more labs, especially for undergraduate students. Classes will also need to be scheduled carefully to ensure optimal use of existing infrastructure.”
On whether this will lead to more pressure on faculty, the principal said, “We will need to hire more non-teaching staff to keep labs running all six days. Research credits don’t come under direct teaching, so they won’t drastically increase faculty load on paper, but they will reduce timetable flexibility.”
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However, faculty members raised concerns about the feasibility and academic rigour of the new structure.
Maya John, an elected Academic Council member and faculty at Jesus and Mary College, said, “A majority of DU colleges lack the resources required to support the fourth year. There aren’t enough laboratories, classrooms, computer systems, access to original software, no additional funds, and scholarships, among others, to support undergraduate research and academic projects. This, too, will compromise the quality of learning and research output at the undergraduate level. Further, students will face an immense load, as alongside studying and clearing the semester exams for core and elective papers, they will be pursuing research or entrepreneurship in both the seventh and eighth semesters. Managing this would be a difficult task.”
She also flagged an increase in workload for teachers. “College teachers will be bearing an extra workload of teaching fourth-year papers while also supervising dissertations and academic projects. Given this overburdening of teachers as well as the large number of students in most undergraduate courses whose dissertations, academic projects, and entrepreneurships will need supervision, the quality of undergraduate research will tendentially suffer.”
On the ground, colleges are still trying to catch up with the infrastructural demands of a fourth year. “There aren’t enough labs, no adequate machinery, and no additional funding to support research or academic projects. This will impact the quality of research… Many of the courses passed in the seventh and eighth semesters have been significantly diluted. Moreover, considering the mere four credits and correspondingly fewer teaching hours assigned to crucial papers like Core Courses and Discipline-Specific Electives, the quality of the dissertations and academic projects that the students would be working on in the fourth year will be adversely affected.”