Following a protest by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) over the shortage of seats in Delhi University’s (DU) one-year postgraduate programmes, the university has constituted a committee to examine the issue. The panel, headed by the Dean of Academic Affairs, is expected to take a decision within 10 days, according to ABVP.

The committee was formed after hundreds of students gathered outside the Arts Faculty, demanding an increase in seats for one-year postgraduate courses introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP). ABVP later submitted a memorandum to DU Registrar Prof Vikas Gupta, urging the university to expand seats across all such programmes.

The issue has gained prominence this year as the first batch of students completing the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) becomes eligible for admission to one-year master’s courses. ABVP said the number of eligible students has risen sharply, but postgraduate seats have not increased accordingly, leaving many students without admission opportunities.

Students from colleges across the university joined the protest, raising slogans and demanding that DU increase intake before the admission process advances further. ABVP said no meritorious student should miss the opportunity to pursue postgraduate studies because of limited seats.

ABVP Delhi State Secretary Sarthak Sharma said, “The University of Delhi remains the first choice for lakhs of students across the country. However, the inadequate number of seats under the current admission system is doing grave injustice to students’ academic aspirations. The number of students seeking admission to one-year postgraduate programmes after completing the four-year undergraduate programme is increasing every year. Therefore, the university administration must immediately enhance the number of seats to ensure that no deserving student is denied access to higher education due to seat constraints.”

Student groups have argued that the expansion of the four-year undergraduate system must be matched by a corresponding increase in postgraduate seats to ensure a smooth transition for eligible students.