Delhi University’s new session off to a slow start, colleges await full house by Monday

‘Choose your program, not just the college’: DU Admissions Dean

“The footfall today was lower than expected,” said Ajay Arora, principal of Ramjas College. “A lot of our students are from out of town, and since our hostel is currently shut, we saw barely 40% attendance today. We’re hopeful that more students will join in the coming week.”

At Hindu College, the mood was slightly more upbeat, though attendance varied between sessions. “At 9 am, the seminar hall wasn’t very packed,” said Principal Anju Srivastava. “But by 10 am, as the central orientation began, the college was jam-packed. Still, in departmental orientations, attendance was patchy — around 60 out of 70 students came in for each group.”

At Kirori Mal College, Principal Dinesh Khattar attributed the lukewarm response to timing. “The turnout at our college wasn’t as high as we usually see,” he said. “The Saturday-Sunday syndrome is at play. Students from other states often travel on weekends, settle in, and begin classes the following week.”

Miranda House saw a stronger response from its first-year cohort but a slower return among seniors. “Out of 1,390 students admitted, almost 1,100 first-year students showed up,” said Principal Bijayalaxmi Nanda. “The turnout of second, third, and fourth-year students was around 50%. It is because it’s a Friday. Many students must want to begin the year on Monday.”

Despite the low turnout, orientation sessions were conducted across colleges, with faculty members introducing students to academic structures, societies, and campus codes of conduct.

A few early arrivals wandered through college corridors, mapping out departments and locating canteens, while their parents stood on the campus lawns. “We are expecting the whole crowd to be present in colleges on Monday,” Nanda reiterated.

Other colleges also expressed similar views about student turnout this year.

Admission status

The university, meanwhile, is still in the process of filling its seats.

As of 6 pm Friday, DU confirmed 71,366 admissions in the second round. A total of 31,046 candidates have opted to freeze their allotted seats, while 36,663 have chosen to upgrade. The deadline for payment of fees has been extended till 11.59 pm on August 1.

The university also released the detailed schedule for the third round of admissions.

The list will be released at 5 pm on Tuesday (August 5), followed by verification and approval of applications by colleges from August 5 to 6. The last date for fee payment under this round is August 7.

The mid-entry window will remain open from 5 pm on August 8 to 4.59 pm on August 10, allowing candidates who missed previous phases or were rejected earlier to participate.

The university has also officially notified that its colleges and institutions are expected to function from 8 am to 8 pm for “optimal utilisation” of resources.

This is as per a directive issued Thursday, which also detailed preparations for the implementation of the fourth year of the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022 from August 1, under the National Education Policy 2020.

The notification stated that the “Executive Council was of the view that… faculty members and staff may be compensated suitably for additional work performed as per prevailing norms of the University.”