The University of Delhi has raised the passing criteria for promotion to the next year from 50 percent to 63 percent for all undergraduate courses, according to university officials. Consequently, undergraduate students at all DU colleges must now achieve a total of 63 percent in their first and second semesters to qualify for promotion.

However, students participating in sports, extracurricular activities, the National Cadet Corps (NCC), the National Service Scheme (NSS), and other similar activities may be exempt from this requirement, subject to approval from their college's competent authority.

This change aims to address shortcomings in implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) 2022 at Delhi University, a varsity official explained.

"Under the previous passing and promotion rules, a student was eligible for promotion from first year to second year if they cleared 50 percent of the exams of the first and second semesters combined. Students had to clear seven papers and obtain a total of 22 credits to get promoted," the official stated.

"However, under the NEP-UGCF 2022, not all papers have the same credits. As a result, a student could be promoted to the next year by passing just three papers of both semesters and one general elective with only a 36 percent score," explained a member of the committee that formulated the guidelines for the new promotion criteria.

To address this issue, a 12-member committee, including principals from several educational institutions of DU colleges such as Miranda House, Kirori Mal College, and Lady Shri Ram College, along with the Dean of Academics and the Controller of Examination (COE), held a meeting on May 7 and made recommendations. These recommendations were subsequently approved by DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh on May 28, the official added.