By Vishu Adhana
New Delhi [India], August 23 : Delhi University will conduct an in-house entrance test for students who have completed the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) and wish to seek direct admission to its PhD programmes, with the university expected to launch an application portal in the coming week, DU Registrar Vikas Gupta told ANI.
The move comes as the first batch of students under Delhi University's Four-Year Undergraduate Programme, introduced under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022 in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, graduated this year.
"We will conduct a test for students moving from FYUP to the PhD programme. We will launch a website for students to apply for PhD admissions," Gupta said.
The entrance examination will be conducted in accordance with the University Grants Commission's PhD Regulations, which allow Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to admit candidates either on the basis of national-level fellowship or scholarship examinations followed by an interview, or through an entrance test conducted by the individual institution.
The University of Delhi has already amended Ordinance VI to provide an academic pathway for students completing the fourth year of the undergraduate programme to apply directly for PhD programmes without first completing a master's degree.
The amendment was approved by the university's Academic Council and Executive Council.
For the PhD admissions for the academic session 2026-27, students completing the fourth year with a minimum 7.5 CGPA, or 7 CGPA for SC/ST students, will be eligible to apply directly to PhD programmes.
The first batch of the FYUP was rolled out in the academic session 2022-23. Of the 75,948 students admitted that year, 40,005 exited after completing three years in 2025, while around 35,943 students continued into the optional fourth year, according to university data. The figures include students admitted through the School of Open Learning.
The optional fourth year was introduced with the objective of bringing greater focus on research and entrepreneurship at the undergraduate level, aligning Indian degrees with global standards and producing academically rigorous graduates.
Delhi University is offering one-year PG programmes in 46 disciplines under its Postgraduate Curriculum Framework (PGCF) 2025, with a total of 5,857 seats. Of these, 2,807 seats are in the regular mode and 3,035 are in the Open and Distance Learning mode.
The university has continued to offer the same number of seats in its two-year PG programmes for the 2026-27 academic session, particularly for students who exited after completing three years of undergraduate study.
Of the 35,943 students who continued into the fourth year, 12,111 applied for admission to Delhi University's one-year PG programmes for the 2026-27 academic session, accounting for 34.27 per cent of the students who continued into the fourth year.
Against the total 5,857 seats available in the one-year PG programmes, the 12,111 applications translate into seats equivalent to 48.36 per cent of the number of applicants.