New Delhi: Driven by New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Delhi University has rolled out key reforms for its assessment and promotion rules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The changes, which shift the focus from end-semester exams to continuous assessment and credit-based progression, are set to significantly alter how students engage with their courses.The continuous and comprehensive evaluation structure, already in place at the undergraduate level, now extends to the postgraduate level. Internal assessment has been standardised at 25% of theory marks across courses, with a fixed breakdown — six marks for attendance, 12 for class tests and 12 for assignments or presentations in a four-credit paper. Tutorials have been formally included in the credit system, with one credit equalling 40 marks, and will be assessed through activities such as book reviews, group discussions, research presentations or project work. Practical courses will now be evaluated through continuous assessment (25%), end-term exams (50%) and viva voce (25%).Attendance will play a more formalised role in academic performance at the PG level. Students with 85% or more attendance will secure the full six marks allotted while those with 67-70% will receive 1.2 marks, with incremental increases for each higher bracket. Officials argue that the move seeks to encourage consistent classroom participation by students while ensuring a steady pace of learning and evaluation rather than a single, high-stakes final test.At the undergraduate level, the most significant shift comes in promotion criteria. Previously, students were required to clear half of their first-year papers — seven of 14 — irrespective of the credits attached. Since credits vary by paper, ranging from two to six, this created disparities. A student could pass with only 16 credits by clearing lighter courses while another required 28 credits if their cleared papers were heavier, core subjects. The new rule, to be applied from the 2025-26 batch, mandates a minimum of 28 credits for promotion to the second year. While DU has not officially compared the change in terms of pass percentage, the new benchmark effectively raises the requirement. With 44 credits in a year — 22 per semester — the new threshold represents 63.6% of the total credits against the earlier 50%. DU has said students admitted in 2024-25 will remain under the old system. For some time, this creates a two-tier system, where one batch is under a stricter regime compared to the other.The rationale behind the new benchmark, university officials say, is to ensure uniformity and fairness. “Some students were clearing seven papers with just 16 credits while others had to clear 28. This created non-parity and allowed students to avoid their core courses. The credit system ensures students take their courses seriously,” an official said.College principals, too, see merit in the move. “This will not harm students but will bring uniformity. Now the system is fairer,” said Ramjas College principal Ajay Arora.However, not everybody is convinced. Teachers caution that these changes will increase workload without addressing structural issues. “To reach 28 credits, students will opt for higher-credit papers, which require more teaching hours. But workload calculation is already mismatched with credits and classes are stretched from 8am to 8pm. Teachers and students are not machines — both need time for reflection and self-study,” said Latika Gupta, faculty at the education department. Others worry about implementation bottlenecks. “DU still struggles with timely result processing. Graduates often run from office to office to correct marksheet errors. Unless the system is strengthened first, adding layers of assessment will only complicate things further,” Gupta added.The university’s new rules mark a clear departure from the older model of academic progression. By embedding internal assessment, tutorials, attendance and credits into the evaluation framework, it is pushing towards NEP’s model of holistic and continuous learning. While supporters and critics place their arguments, for students, the impact is immediate: progression will no longer hinge on scraping through half the papers, but on sustained performance across credits, tutorials and regular classroom engagement.
