Delhi University's Direct Doctoral Admission Move Sparks Academic Council Debate
Priyanka Negi | 26 July 2026 | NDTV
The University of Delhi's Academic Council (AC) has approved a significant change to its PhD admission rules, allowing students who have completed a four-year undergraduate programme to apply directly for doctoral studies. The decision was taken during the council's meeting on Friday along with several other academic and administrative proposals.
The amendment follows recommendations made by the Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Council (RIEC) and is aimed at aligning the university's academic framework with recent higher education reforms. Under the revised regulations, graduates of four-year undergraduate programmes will no longer be required to complete a master's degree before becoming eligible for PhD admission.
The decision, however, was not unanimous. Academic Council members Maya John and Latika Gupta submitted a dissent note, expressing concern over the absence of clear guidelines on how reservation policies would apply to students entering PhD programmes directly after their undergraduate studies. They argued that these candidates represent a separate category and should not be grouped with master's and MPhil graduates without explicitly defining reservation provisions, reported ANI