Delhi University May Hold Entrance Test for One-Year PG Courses

Delhi University is considering an entrance test for one-year PG admissions from 2027–28 after students challenge the existing priority-based selection criteria.

The University of Delhi (DU) is considering introducing an entrance examination for admission to its one-year postgraduate (PG) programmes from the 2027–28 academic session. The university has informed the Delhi High Court about the proposal amid student complaints concerning the existing admission criteria. If approved, admissions to these programmes will be based solely on entrance test scores, replacing the current priority-based selection process.

DU introduced the one-year master's programmes in the 2026–27 academic years under the National Education Policy (NEP) framework. The programmes are designed for students who complete a four-year undergraduate degree, providing them with an opportunity to pursue a postgraduate qualification in one year instead of the conventional two-year master's route.

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For the 2026–27 academic sessions, DU did not conduct a separate entrance examination for its one-year PG programmes. Instead, it followed a priority-based admission system. Students holding a four-year Bachelor's Honours degree with Research or Entrepreneurship in the relevant subject were placed in the first priority category, known as P1. Candidates with a four-year multidisciplinary degree and a Major in the relevant subject were placed in the second category, P2.

Under this arrangement, P1 candidates received preference over P2 applicants, even when a candidate in the second category had a higher CGPA. Several students challenged the admission criteria before the Delhi High Court, arguing that the system created unequal opportunities for applicants with different four-year undergraduate qualifications.

In an affidavit submitted to the court on November 3, 2026, DU Registrar Vikas Gupta stated that the university had taken note of the students' grievances and was considering an entrance test for the 2027–28 academic sessions. The university indicated that admissions could be determined exclusively through entrance examination merit if the proposal is implemented.

The university has also highlighted the additional pressure created by the introduction of the one-year PG programmes. According to its submission to the court, the new programmes added 6,147 seats, including 3,340 seats through the School of Open Learning, alongside approximately 12,000 seats in the existing two-year PG programmes.

DU stated that the expansion had stretched its available infrastructure, accommodation facilities and teaching resources. It also indicated that an assessment of institutional capacity would determine the number of seats offered across the one-year and two-year postgraduate programmes in future admission cycles.

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The proposed entrance examination applies to the university's one-year PG programmes and remains under consideration. DU has not yet announced a confirmed examination schedule, application dates or detailed eligibility requirements for the 2027–28 admission cycle.

Candidates interested in these programmes should monitor the university's official admission portal and website for further notifications. The existing two-year postgraduate programmes continue to follow their separate admission process through the Common University Entrance Test for Postgraduate admissions (CUET-PG), as prescribed by the university.

The proposed change could bring a common entrance-based selection mechanism to DU's one-year master's programmes, subject to the university's final decision and subsequent admission notification.