Delhi University has added 5,857 seats across 46 one-year PG programmes for the 2026-27 academic session. This expansion is to accommodate the first batch of students graduating from the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP).

PG Seat Expansion for FYUP Graduates

The University of Delhi has added 5857 postgraduate seats across 46 one-year PG programmes for the 2026-27 academic session, an average of over 120 seats per programme, as the first batch of students graduating from the four-year undergraduate programme enters postgraduate education.

The university has retained the existing number of seats in its two-year postgraduate programmes, effectively expanding the overall PG intake to accommodate students graduating under the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP). According to data assessed by ANI, DU is offering one-year postgraduate programmes in 46 disciplines with a total of 5,857 seats, including 2,807 seats in regular mode. The 5,857 seats across 46 programmes translate into an average of around 127 seats per programme.

Infrastructure and Faculty Concerns Addressed

The expansion in postgraduate intake has raised questions about whether DU has adequate infrastructure and faculty to accommodate the additional students. DU Registrar Vikas Gupta told ANI that the university has made arrangements to meet the increased requirement for classrooms and teaching staff. "We have augmented the infrastructure. We have allocated rooms where there were some programmes running for teaching. We will hire extra teachers. We have also made provisions for teachers who are teaching in colleges to come and teach in universities. We will provide them an honorarium," Gupta said.

Student Intake and Application Data

The FYUP was introduced with the objective of providing students with greater exposure to research and entrepreneurship during their undergraduate education and aligning Indian degrees with global academic standards. The expansion comes as the first batch of students enrolled under DU's FYUP completes the four-year undergraduate programme. DU rolled out the FYUP from the 2022-23 academic session under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022, based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

A total of 75,948 students were admitted to DU in the 2022-23 academic session, including students admitted through the School of Open Learning. Of these, 40,005 students exited after completing three years of undergraduate education in 2025, while around 35,943 continued into the fourth year. Of the 35,943 students who continued with the fourth year, 12,111 applied for admission to the one-year postgraduate programmes for the 2026-27 academic session, according to the university data. This means around 33.7 per cent of the students who continued into the fourth year applied for the one-year PG programmes. Against the 5,857 seats available in the one-year PG programmes, the number of applicants stood at 12,111. The available seats therefore account for around 48.36 per cent of the number of applicants.

Comparison with Other Universities

DU's one-year PG offering is also significantly larger than that of other universities that have introduced similar programmes. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), for instance, has introduced one-year PG programmes in four programmes with 71 seats, while Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) has offered seven programmes with 210 seats, according to the data assessed by ANI.

Alternative Academic Pathways

The university has also continued to offer the same number of seats in its two-year postgraduate programmes for the 2026-27 academic session, particularly for students who exited the FYUP after completing three years.

Direct PhD Admission for FYUP Graduates

The university has also created a direct academic pathway from the four-year undergraduate programme to PhD admissions. Under an amendment to Ordinance VI of the university, approved by the Academic Council and Executive Council, students completing the FYUP with a CGPA of 7.5 or above and 7.0 or above for SC/ST students will be eligible to apply directly for PhD programmes.

For the first batch of FYUP graduates, the provision will operate as a special measure for the 2026-27 academic session. The university has maintained that students completing the four-year undergraduate programme are therefore not necessarily required to pursue a master's degree before entering doctoral education, provided they meet the prescribed eligibility criteria. (ANI)

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