Delhi University: Path cleared for direct PhD after 4-year undergraduate program; find out who is eligible..

Delhi University has paved the way for students of its four-year undergraduate program to gain direct admission to PhD courses without a master's degree. As a special concession for the 2026-27 academic session, eligible candidates securing a minimum CGPA of 7.5 (or 7.0 for students in the SC/ST/OBC/PwBD categories) will be eligible for direct entry into the PhD program. According to the news agency ANI, the DU Registrar issued official guidelines regarding this on August 21.

The university launched the four-year undergraduate course in the 2022-23 academic session under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022, which is based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. A total of 75,948 students enrolled in the 2022-23 session; of these, 40,005 students exited after the third year (in 2025), while approximately 35,943 students opted for the fourth year.

For students completing the four-year undergraduate program, DU has offered 5,857 seats across 46 one-year postgraduate (PG) programs under the Postgraduate Curriculum Framework (PGCF)—the highest number offered by any university. The traditional two-year PG program will continue for students who exited with a graduation degree after three years. Out of the 35,943 fourth-year students, 12,111 (34.27%) have applied for DU's one-year PG program for the 2026-27 session. This ratio of applicants (48.36%) relative to the 5,857 available seats is quite high.

**Establishment of Development Centers**
Under NEP 2020, DU has incorporated skill-based courses, internships, and entrepreneurship initiatives. Skill development centers have been established in 25 colleges, and it has been made mandatory for fourth-year students to undertake projects or research addressing real-time problems. The university has made the necessary amendments to Ordinance VI and secured approval from the Academic Council and the Executive Council, thereby aligning the four-year FYUP curriculum directly with PhD requirements.

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