New Delhi: Nearly 30 percent of the first batch of Delhi University (DU) students who can avail themselves of the recently introduced four-year undergraduate programme have chosen to continue into the fourth year, university officials have told ThePrint. The majority of these students have enrolled in social science courses and remain concentrated in the more popular, centrally located colleges.
DU is among the first central universities to adopt the four-year undergraduate programme under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, starting in the academic year 2022–2023. While the four-year programme is the default, students can choose to exit at the end of the first year (certificate), second year (diploma), or third year (degree).
On Thursday, the university held a meeting with affiliated colleges to review the smooth implementation of the fourth-year programme.
Speaking to ThePrint, DU Registrar Vikas Gupta said, “There is still some movement among students regarding the fourth year, but we are receiving inputs from colleges indicating that around 30 percent will stay on. In some colleges, it is more, but overall it will come to 30 percent across the university.”
During the meeting held on Thursday, some colleges raised concerns that fewer than 10 students opted for the fourth year in some courses.
“In such cases, the university has advised colleges to form clusters. Courses having a low enrolment could be combined, and colleges with more students in those subjects could conduct classes,” Gupta said.
Since this is the first batch of students entering the fourth year, Gupta said the experience will be new for both the students and the university.
“We will learn from this year, and students will also gain a better understanding of how it goes. We expect that the number of students opting for the fourth year will increase next year,” he said.
Higher retention in top DU colleges
A trend in the fourth-year programme is a clear divide between centrally located, well-established colleges and off-campus ones on the city outskirts. In popular colleges, up to 40 percent of students have reported an interest in the fourth year. But the numbers remain low in off-campus and other colleges on the outskirts.
For instance, at Miranda House, 513 of nearly 1,700 students, i.e., 30 percent, will continue into the fourth year. At Hindu College, it is 360 out of 950 students, i.e., 37.8 percent, and at Lady Shri Ram College, it is 450 out of 1,150 students, i.e., 39 percent.
Similarly, Daulat Ram College will induct 583 of 1,465 students into the fourth year, meaning 39.7 percent of the total strength. Aryabhatta College will induct 250 of 600 students, or 41 percent.
On the outskirts of the city is Bhagini Nivedita College, which will retain only 70 students from a 400-strong batch, i.e., 17 percent. Similarly, the Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences, which admits only women, will retain 250 of over 900 students—27 percent.
College officials said admissions to the on-campus and popular colleges are already high, seeing intense competition.
“In contrast, off-campus colleges see fewer admissions—likely due to some perceptions. This disparity in student experience may be a key factor influencing student decisions about continuing into the fourth year,” said the principal of a DU North Campus college, requesting anonymity.
Several principals, especially from off-campus colleges, said that having fewer students in the fourth year might actually be beneficial in the initial phase.
“It’s actually good to have smaller numbers in the first year. It allows colleges to ease into the new system and adapt gradually. There are still many uncertainties around the fourth year, so it will take time to fully understand and implement it effectively,” said the principal of one such college, requesting anonymity.
Minimum retention in science courses
For instance, at Daulat Ram College, which offers bachelor’s programmes in pure science subjects, such as Physics, Chemistry, and Zoology, the majority of the students continuing into the fourth year are from history and psychology, principal Savita Roy told ThePrint.
She attributed the trend to a general decline in admissions to pure science courses over the past few years.
“Overall, students are not opting for pure science courses. However, this is a great opportunity for those interested in research and higher education. We expect the numbers to rise next year,” she said.
At Miranda House, the maximum number of students continuing into the fourth year is from political science, English, Hindi, and other BA programmes.
At Lady Shri Ram College, the highest retention—66 out of 92 students—is in psychology, followed by political science and history.
At Dyal Singh College, only 13 out of 55 students vying for a Physics (Honours) degree and 25 out of 87 students for a Mathematics (Honours) degree have continued into the fourth year.
“The issue is that there are many top institutions for science postgraduates—including IITs and IISERs (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research)—with enough seats available. So, students prefer those for their Master’s degrees,” a senior professor at Dyal Singh College told ThePrint.
“The students who have stayed back in the science courses are mostly those who did not get admission into these institutions or even into DU’s own postgraduate science departments.”
According to several faculty members, even in the humanities, many students who either did not get admission into the Master’s course or college of their choice, or who actually plan to pursue a PhD later, have opted for the fourth year.
Under the NEP 2020, students with a four-year undergraduate degree and a minimum CGPA of 7.5 are now eligible to apply directly for a PhD.
“In social sciences, many students generally aim to pursue an MA. Those who got into good Master’s programmes or colleges have already left. The ones who remain are either preparing for competitive exams, such as the UPSC or are genuinely interested in pursuing a PhD,” a senior faculty member at a DU North Campus college said, on the condition of anonymity.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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