Delhi University undergraduate students may now need 28 credits, instead of 22, to make it to second year

This step has been taken to overcome the shortcomings of the NEP under which each semester has seven papers, including four core discipline-specific papers with four credits each; and four additional papers called the General Elective, Value Added course, Skill Enhancement Course and Ability Enhancement course with two credits each in every semester.

“ If we go with the earlier 22 credits out of 44 as basic requirements for a student to get promoted to the second year, a student who has passed in all subjects in the first semester will earn the required credits in the first semester itself and will not be as active as they should be in the second semester. Which is why we have proposed to raise it to 28 credits so that the student can exhibit good performance in enough discipline-specific (DSC) papers of the course they have opted,” said a former Controller of Examination who was part of the 12-member committee constituted by the varsity to review the passing and promotion criteria rules. The minutes of the committee’s meeting stated, “There is, however, no compulsion to take the core academic subjects for attaining the minimum credits for passing the semester…This is causing loss to the students’ academic growth and defeating the goals set in NEP 2020.”

The recommendations of the committee further state that “the student should acquire at least 28 credits out of the total credits of both the semesters for promotion to next year. However, Students representing University of Delhi in Sports/Extra-Curricular Activities/ NCC/NSS etc. may be exempted from this requirement subject to the prior approval of the competent authority.”