Adhering to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, 150 universities across the nation have introduced a four-year undergraduate program for the 2023-24 academic term. According to the recent announcement by the University Grants Commission (UGC), an additional 300 educational institutions are set to implement this program in the upcoming academic session.
As confirmed by UGC Chairman Professor M. Jagadish Kumar, this number is expected to double in the following session.
The UGC guidelines indicate that under the four-year undergraduate program, students will be awarded a ‘UG Honours’ degree along with a specialized research component. Additionally, in this structure, the postgraduate program will be condensed to one year from the previous two-year format. However, the pursuit of a four-year UG program is not obligatory for all students. According to the provisions of the NEP, students have the choice between a three-year UG degree or a four-year ‘Honours’ course.
Under the revised UGC directives, students will now attain an ‘Honours’ degree upon successful completion of a four-year program, as opposed to the traditional three-year duration. As part of this extended curriculum, students will also be required to undertake a research project.
