DU grants one-time exemption from 28-credit promotion rule for 2025-26 UG batch: Here's all students need to know

The University of Delhi (DU) has granted a one-time exemption from its 28-credit promotion requirement for undergraduate students admitted in the 2025-26 academic year under the National Education Policy (NEP) Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF)-2022.The decision means students who have completed their first year will not be denied promotion to the next academic year solely because they have failed to secure the earlier prescribed minimum of 28 credits out of 44. The exemption, however, is limited to the 2025-26 batch and does not amount to the withdrawal of the credit-based promotion system.DU modifies earlier promotion orders for 2025-26 batchThe decision has been communicated through a notification issued by the DU Examination Branch, which partially modifies the university's earlier orders dated July 21 and September 2, 2025.The latest order specifically provides a one-time relaxation from the requirement of acquiring at least 28 credits out of the 44 credits available across the two semesters of an academic year.For students admitted in 2025-26, completing the first year will therefore not automatically result in denial of promotion merely because their credit tally is below 28.The university has also made it clear that the relaxation is restricted to this particular batch. It does not create a permanent exemption for DU undergraduate students or alter the promotion criteria for students admitted in subsequent academic years.What does the 28-credit exemption mean for DU students?Under the credit-based system introduced under UGCF-2022, students have 44 credits available over the course of an academic year. The earlier promotion criterion required students to obtain at least 28 of these credits to move to the subsequent year.The latest decision removes this specific threshold for students belonging to the 2025-26 batch.For instance, a student who has completed the first year with 27 credits would ordinarily have fallen short of the prescribed 28-credit benchmark. Under the one-time exemption, the student will not be denied promotion solely because the credit count is 27.The exemption is therefore particularly relevant for students who completed their first year but remained below the prescribed credit threshold.Other examination rules remain unchangedThe latest notification should not be interpreted as a blanket relaxation of DU's examination or academic requirements.The university has specifically exempted the 2025-26 batch from the requirement of obtaining 28 credits out of 44 for promotion. Other provisions contained in the earlier notifications issued on July 21 and September 2, 2025 continue to remain in force.This distinction is important for students, as the latest order does not scrap the broader framework governing passing and promotion under NEP UGCF-2022.DU's Examination Branch continues to list its notifications concerning the criteria for passing and promotion to the subsequent year, including the requirement of acquiring at least 28 credits under the UGCF-2022 framework.How DU's 28-credit promotion rule evolvedThe 28-credit requirement was introduced by DU through its July 21, 2025 notification following decisions of the university's Academic Council and Executive Council.The original framework provided that students would be eligible for promotion to the subsequent academic year after acquiring at least 28 credits under NEP UGCF-2022.The university subsequently modified the implementation timeline through a September 2025 notification. The applicability of the 28-credit criterion was shifted to students admitted from the 2025-26 academic session instead of the 2024-25 batch.The latest order represents another modification, but this time in the form of a one-time exemption. Rather than permanently altering the promotion framework, DU has relaxed the 28-credit condition for the 2025-26 batch after students completed their first year.The sequence is therefore clear: DU notified the 28-credit promotion requirement in July 2025, shifted its applicability to the 2025-26 batch in September, and has now granted that same batch a one-time exemption from meeting the 28-credit threshold.What students should knowThe latest DU decision can be summed up in three points:The 2025-26 UG batch gets a one-time exemption from the 28-credit requirement for promotion.Students with fewer than 28 credits will not be denied promotion solely on that ground.The exemption is not a permanent change to DU's promotion rules and does not automatically apply to future batches.Get the latest Education News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.