DU one-year PG admissions: 100 petitioners challenge honours priority in Delhi HC
By TUF News Desk · Published 16 October 2026 · 4 min read
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Around 100 students have moved the Delhi High Court against the University of Delhi’s new one-year postgraduate admission policy. The petitioners are challenging the preference given to four-year honours graduates over students who completed general or programme undergraduate courses.
What the petitioners are questioning
At the centre of the dispute are the Programme-Specific Eligibility (PSE) priority levels that DU introduced from July 5, 2026. The university launched 46 one-year PG programmes this academic year for students who finished a four-year undergraduate degree under the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme. Under the new rules, honours graduates get priority in the allocation of seats.
Students say this leaves graduates with valid four-year qualifications at a disadvantage. The petitions have also questioned the admission bulletin, delayed notifications and the merit-based selection process.
One of the petitions in detail
One of the cases, W.P.(C) 12558/2026 filed by Gaurav Sharma and others, directly challenges DU’s allocation rules. It contests the preference for four-year Honours degree holders over students who hold four-year undergraduate degrees with a Major, and asks the court to quash the rules.
The petition seeks an admission process that does not rank honours students above major students, a common merit list without programme-specific priorities, and more seats, noting that the 2026-27 cohort is the first batch entering the new one-year programmes.
On August 31, 2026, Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notice in the petition. DU’s counsel accepted the notice and got two weeks to file a reply, with the matter listed for September 18.
How the university is defending the policy
Delhi University has defended the honours priority. A university grievance redressal committee examined the rules and found both Honours-with-Research and Major students eligible to apply. But it held that honours students can reasonably be expected to have greater exposure to the subject, calling the priority “a well-thought-out, academically oriented decision” taken through a multi-stage statutory process involving the departments, the Academic Council and the Executive Council.
The same order rejected one student’s request for admission to the one-year MA Political Science programme, noting admissions had closed on August 31, 2026 and other students ranked above him on the merit list.
Separately, DU has set up a six-member committee headed by Dean of Academic Affairs K Ratnabali to examine the one-year PG programmes, consider adding seats and review the admission policy.
What happens next
The matter is before the Delhi High Court, where the university will address concerns related to the bulletin of information, delayed notifications and the merit-based system during the next hearing. The court’s orders and the committee’s recommendations could change how the one-year programmes are run, so applicants should track official updates on the University of Delhi’s official website.
If you studied at a University of Delhi college, keep your mark sheets, migration certificate and category documents ready while the case moves forward. Our admission documents checklist lists what PG applicants usually need. And if you are comparing options beyond DU, our guide to choosing a university breaks down how to weigh courses, cutoffs and campus factors.
Frequently asked questions
Why are students challenging DU’s one-year PG admission policy?
They say the Programme-Specific Eligibility priority levels unfairly favour four-year honours graduates over students with general, programme or major undergraduate degrees.
How many one-year PG programmes has DU introduced?
46 one-year postgraduate programmes, open to students who completed a four-year undergraduate degree under the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme.
What has the Delhi High Court done in the case so far?
Notices have been issued and DU has been asked to respond. The university is expected to address concerns about the admission bulletin, delayed notifications and merit-based selection at the next hearing.
How is DU responding to the challenge?
It has defended the honours priority before the court and set up a six-member committee headed by Dean of Academic Affairs K Ratnabali to examine the one-year PG framework, consider adding seats and review the admission policy.
Frequently asked questions
Why are students challenging DU's one-year PG admission policy?
They say the Programme-Specific Eligibility priority levels unfairly favour four-year honours graduates over students with general, programme or major undergraduate degrees.
How many one-year PG programmes has DU introduced?
46 one-year postgraduate programmes, open to students who completed a four-year undergraduate degree under the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme.
What has the Delhi High Court done in the case so far?
Notices have been issued and DU has been asked to respond. The university is expected to address concerns about the admission bulletin, delayed notifications and merit-based selection at the next hearing.
How is DU responding to the challenge?
It has defended the honours priority before the court and set up a six-member committee headed by Dean of Academic Affairs K Ratnabali to examine the one-year PG framework, consider adding seats and review the admission policy.
Sources: Careers360, Education Post