FYUP and New Rule for College Curriculum

In 2023 UGC (University Grant Commission), notified the credit framework and curriculum for undergraduate programs (UG) proposed in the New Education Policy 2020. It defines Honours degree courses as a four-year programme. It provides various options for students, such as multiple entry and exit options, flexible degree options with single major, double major, multi or interdisciplinary choices and a curriculum built with employability skills in addition to academic subjects.

Admission in PhD: Under this new FYUP (four-year undergraduate programs), graduates will no longer need a Master’s degree to join the PhD programme.

Several entry and exit options: As per the revised guidelines, students who opt to exit after completion of the first year and have secured 40 credits will be awarded a UG certificate if, in addition, they complete one vocational course of four credits during the summer vacation of the first year. Also, these students will be allowed to re-enter the degree programme within three years and complete the degree programme within the stipulated maximum period of seven years. Students who opt to exit after completion of the second year and have secured 80 credits will be awarded the UG diploma if, in addition, they complete one vocational course of four credits during the summer vacation of the second year. They will be allowed to re-enter within a period of three
years and complete the degree programme within the maximum period of seven years.

The new curriculum framework will have the following features:

1. Flexibility to move from one discipline of study to another;
2. Opportunity for learners to choose the courses of their interest in all disciplines;
3. Facilitating multiple entry and exit options with UG certificate/ UG diploma/ or degree depending upon the number of credits secured;
4. Flexibility for learners to move from one institution to another to enable them to have multi and/or interdisciplinary learning;
5. Flexibility to switch to alternative modes of learning (offline, ODL, and Online learning, and hybrid modes of learning).
6. UG programs will be divided into eight semesters lasting 90 days each
7. In semesters 1, 2 and 3, the student will study subjects from humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and vocational education. At the end of semester 3, the student will decide her major and minor subject for the degree, which will be allotted on the basis of interest and academic performance.
8. In semesters 7 and 8, the student will conduct a research-based study on the subject of specialisation.