NEW DELHI: The University of Delhi’s (DU) newly introduced one-year postgraduate (PG) programme, which has been mired in controversy since its inception, has now come under the scanner of the Delhi High Court.
After raising concerns over admission priorities, transparency and seat allocation with the vice-chancellor, several students have approached the court, challenging the university’s admission policy for the 2026-27 academic session.
Around 100 petitioners have challenged the preference given to graduates with four-year honours degrees over those who completed general or programme undergraduate courses. The petitions have questioned the eligibility criteria and the programme-specific eligibility (PSE) priority system adopted by the University for Admissions to its one-year master’s programmes.
Under the PSE framework, candidates are categorised into P1, P2, P3 and P4 priority levels. P1 candidates whose undergraduate qualifications are considered directly relevant to the master’s programme receive the first preference. P2 candidates, including those from other eligible undergraduate backgrounds, are considered subsequently, subject to seat availability.
The policy has drawn criticism from students who argue that the priority-based selection process disadvantages certain eligible applicants and leaves them uncertain about their admission prospects.
One of the petitions was filed on September 16 by a student regarding the lack of seats being filled in the university due to the honours degree preferential requisites. The Grievance Redressal Committee had been asked to examine the concern over the DU’s honours priority.
Before approaching the court, students had written to the vice-chancellor about the lack of clarity in merit lists, limited seat availability and delayed updates on admission dashboards. Applicants have questioned the absence of clear information on vacant seats and the number of admission rounds remaining.
“There is no transparency on how many seats are left or how many more rounds will happen for the one-year PG programme. Without a spot round, many seats may go vacant,” an applicant said, adding that students who pursued four-year undergraduate degrees could find their efforts wasted if they fail to secure admission.
The legal challenge has brought several aspects of the admission process under scrutiny,
Varsity got overwhelming response, says director
Professor Rajni Abbi, director of the South Campus, a professor at the Faculty of Law and an Executive Council member, said the university had received an overwhelming response to the one-year PG programme, with applications nearly doubling and prompting an expansion of seats.