‘CUET twice…’ What did Delhi University VC say on DU admission, NET PhD, NTA? Understand through 9 Q&A

1. CUET result is late which means DU session is late this year too. What will you tell the students?

You VC: We are a little late but as soon as the results are out, we will start admissions. For those first year courses in which admissions are based on CUET, their session will be delayed by at least two weeks. We will now start classes from August 16. For the rest of the post graduate courses, all B.Tech programs, 5-year law programs, in which admissions are being done on the basis of other entrances, we will start the session from August 1.

2. From CUET to NET, every entrance exam of NTA is facing problems ranging from exam cancellation, postponement to paper leak. What is the solution?

When entrance is conducted on all India level, some problems are bound to arise because there are many challenges. NTA is conducting every entrance with good intentions, but some gangs in the country are trying to sabotage the examination in different ways. Now the Indian government has become very strict and I think for the first time the case has been given to CBI. The way arrests are being made, gangsters will be scared and in the coming time many people will be punished. I am very hopeful that all the agencies will together find a good solution to all kinds of problems.

Second, this has nothing to do with the questions being raised on the mode of examination. Online computer based exam or OMR based exam, both have different challenges. But gangsters can try to sabotage both. NTA puts in its best efforts in preparing for the entrance and Delhi University has benefited from it.

With the advent of CUET, many students from various state boards are taking admission here. CUET is giving equal opportunity to students. The most ideal situation is that we conduct CUET twice a year. This is very good for students from small towns and various state boards. Like JEE, if CUET exam is conducted twice, then the student has a chance that if for some reason he/she is not able to do well in one exam or is unable to give it, then he/she has a second chance. The best score should be taken from both.

3. This time PhD admission will be based on NET score, but the exam has been postponed. That means PhD admission is also late. JNU is thinking of having its own entrance instead of NET. What is DU thinking?

We are not thinking like this. We will go with the government. I feel that this is a very special situation, any decision should be taken after thinking about it. I do not believe that JNU will take such a decision. It will also go with us, with the government. If JNU separates from NET, then it will not be right for the new PhD system, because like DU, JNU is also a prestigious university and many PhD admissions take place in it.

4. Recently, DU has agreed to offer two degrees at the same time. What else are UGC’s thoughts on joint, dual, twinning degrees?

I think we should not do anything in haste. That is why we have taken the first step within the DU itself. Any of our students can pursue two degrees simultaneously, one from regular and one from our own School of Learning (SOL). Through this we will gain experience, review and remove the problems. Then we will slowly move outwards!

Now time will tell whether we will start the two courses in regular mode or not. It is very difficult to say today. There are many challenges for this, which will have to be considered deeply. We will gradually move towards joint and twinning degrees as well.

5. Is DU considering building a campus outside the country?

I am not thinking about it right now.

6. UGC has allowed admission twice a year. Is DU considering this?

We take admissions in PhD twice a year. We will wait a little for PG and UG. We are not doing anything on this right now. There are many challenges in this including infrastructure, faculty. We will have to think about that first.

7. When will the construction of DU East Campus begin? When will the campus be operational?

You VC: The contract for DU East Campus in Surajmal Vihar has been finalised, construction work will start in 15-20 days. This is a project worth 226 crores. CPWD has taken it over. The boundary wall has already been built. A very big building has to be built, so it will take 1.5-2 years to be ready. A law centre will be shifted here or a new centre will be started. A centre of SOL will also be built there.

This is an extension plan, we will try our best to provide maximum facilities to students in DU’s main campus. For example, we can keep two law centres in the North Campus, and we can open new centres in the East and Dwarka campuses. There is a plot of four to five acres in Dwarka, this will be a small campus. Construction work has started a month ago, this will also be ready in one and a half years.

8. How far has the work on DU’s two new colleges progressed?

Work on the new college in Najafgarh will begin in August. Around Rs 100 crore of funds have been received from HEFA for this. The college is expected to start in the 2026-27 session. We will start here with some good undergraduate courses like BSc Computer Science – with specialization in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, BSc – Data Analytics. We want to run some new age courses in this co-ed college. Second, there is a proposed college in Fatehpur Beri, its approval has not come yet.

9. The issue of 12 colleges has not been resolved yet. There are complaints about not getting funds on time from the Delhi government. Appointments are not being made. What is the current stand of the university on this issue?

Appointments cannot be made without the permission of the Delhi government and the government is not giving permission for this right now. The matter is still in process. We have sent requests to the Delhi government several times. If appointments are not made, colleges will have to manage with guest teachers, which is not a very good system. This is a system of compulsion. I would also like to appeal to the Delhi government to sanction posts as soon as possible so that we can start the recruitment process in the college as soon as possible and colleges get teachers as per their requirement in the new session.