Delhi University’s (DU) first batch of four-year graduates has found that the National Education Policy’s (NEP) biggest academic promise comes with a catch.
Nearly 23,000 students will complete the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) this year and become eligible for the university’s newly introduced one-year master’s programmes. But when admissions opened, the university announced only around 1,100 seats across all one-year postgraduate courses.
The sharp mismatch has left many students questioning one of the biggest incentives behind opting for the fourth year under the NEP.
When the DU rolled out the FYUP, the one-year master’s programme was presented as a key academic progression. For many, it justified spending an extra year in college, paying another year’s fees and delaying graduation with the hope of earning a postgraduate degree in just one additional year.
Instead, the admission bulletin revealed that most departments were offering only 40 to 45 seats, with some courses admitting even fewer students. While the university never promised admission to every eligible graduate, students say the limited capacity has diluted what was projected as a major advantage of the four-year degree.
The uncertainty was compounded by the fact that the notification for one year PG admissions was issued only after the regular two-year postgraduate admission process had already begun.
“I chose the fourth year because the one-year master’s programme seemed like the natural next step under the new system. But now, with only a handful of seats in my department, it feels like thousands of us are competing for an opportunity that barely exists. If I don’t get in, I’ll still have to pursue a regular two-year master’s, and it’s difficult not to question whether the extra year was worth it,” said Ananya R, a BA (Hons) student.
Another student, Rohan Sharma, said the delayed admission schedule only added to the confusion.
“We kept waiting because the university hadn’t announced the one-year PG admissions. By the time the notification finally came, the regular PG admission process was already underway. Thousands of students were left in limbo without knowing which path they would actually be able to pursue,” he said.
DU Registrar Vikas Gupta acknowledged the limitations, saying, “A one-year postgraduate programme is primarily research-oriented, and colleges simply do not have the capacity to enrol every student graduating from a four year undergraduate course.”
Responding to the concerns, Dean of Admissions Prof Haneet Gandhi said the one-year programme was never meant to replace the conventional system.
“The one-year PG programme is only for Delhi University students. It is not compulsory. Students can choose either the one-year or the two- year PG programme, and wherever regulations permit, they can also directly enrol for a PhD. Seats have always been limited. Even in undergraduate admissions, around 2.5 lakh students apply, while the university has nearly 70,000 seats,” she said.
As admissions continue, the debate is no longer just about who secures one of the limited seats. For thousands of students, the larger question is whether the university’s postgraduate capacity has kept pace with the ambitions of the NEP’s four-year undergraduate model, one that encouraged an extra year of study with the promise of a smoother academic transition.
