Delhi University Mandates 28 Credits for Second-Year Promotion

Delhi University Updates Credit System: 28 Credits Now Required for Second-Year Advancement

Delhi University (DU) has announced a major change, with the undergraduate students now needing to earn 28 credits rather than the prior requirement of 22 credits, to advance to their second year. Since this policy change significantly modifies the university's credit accumulation structure, it has sparked conversations among students, instructors, and academic administrators. According to an official, Delhi University has suggested raising the minimum number of credits needed to finish the undergraduate program's first year and advance to the second year. The action has been taken to "align" with the objectives of the National Education Policies (NEP) for students. This action has been taken to address the shortcomings of the NEP, which has seven papers every semester. These papers consist of four core discipline-specific papers, each worth four credits, and four additional papers, each worth two credits, referred to as the General Elective, Value Added course, Skill Enhancement course, and Ability Enhancement course. 

“A student who has passed all subjects in the first semester will obtain the necessary credits in the first semester itself and will not be as active as they should be in the second semester if we stick with the previous 22 credits out of 44 as the minimum requirements for a student to advance to the second year. So that the student can demonstrate strong performance in enough discipline-specific (DSC) papers of the course they have chosen, we have proposed raising it to 28 credits," stated a former Controller of Examination who served on the 12-member committee that the varsity formed to review the regulations governing passing and promotion criteria. 

"There is, however, no compulsion to take the core academic subjects for attaining the minimum credits for passing the semester," according to the committee meeting minutes. This is impeding the academic progress of the children and negating the objectives outlined in NEP 2020. The committee's recommendations further specify that "to be promoted to the following year, the student must earn at least 28 credits total from both semesters." Students who represent the University of Delhi in extracurricular activities, sports, NCC, NSS, and other organizations, however, may be excluded from this requirement with the previous consent of the appropriate authority.

Editor’s Note: 

Delhi University's decision to raise credit requirements is a major change in the academic environment that reflects a larger movement to improve undergraduate education standards and norms. The emphasis will be on making sure that the transition is seamless and that the new system successfully supports academic growth and success while students get used to these changes. Delhi University has assured that support systems will be in place to help students adapt to the changes. Academic advisors and faculty members will be available to guide students through the transition and offer assistance in managing their increased credit requirements. The full effects of this policy shift will probably become apparent in the upcoming academic year, and staff and students at one of India's top universities will be closely watching how it affects the quality of education offered. 

Skoobuzz hopes that this new policy improves the academic standards and ensures that students engage more deeply with their coursework to get a more robust educational experience.