Calcutta University finds itself in a quandary over the degree to be awarded to students enrolled in its four-year undergraduate programme who opt to exit after successfully completing three years with the requisite credits.
The first batch admitted to the four-year undergraduate programme in 2023 will have the option to exit at the end of the sixth semester this July. But uncertainty persists over what degree title such students should receive.
Honours or major?
Initially, CU considered using the term “graduated with honours” for students exiting after the third year. The idea was based on a model followed by Delhi University, said CU vice-chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh.
“But according to the University Grants Commission (UGC), the term ‘graduated with major’ can be used. So, although we initially thought of following the Delhi University model, now we are planning to go by what the UGC says,” Ghosh said.
Under the four-year programme, an honours paper is identified as a “major”. A CU syndicate member said according to the UGC, honours can be awarded only after completion of the fourth year, including a research component.
“The UGC is of the view that honours cannot be awarded twice during graduation,” the member said.
The lack of clarity surfaced after teachers were unable to answer students’ questions in classrooms about the degree they would receive if they chose to exit after the third year.
Students across several colleges have sought clarification on their status upon passing out in July. In many cases, different colleges — and sometimes even teachers within the same college — have offered varying interpretations of the new system.
Exit options
In June 2023, CU announced admission regulations and syllabi for the four-year undergraduate programme in BA, BSc and BCom under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework. The programme introduced exit options after the second, fourth and sixth semesters.
Before the NEP, all undergraduate programmes were of three years.
As per the June 2023 regulations, students securing a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) equivalent to 75% marks after successfully completing six semesters “may opt for honours with research degree course in the 7th and 8th semester”.
According to the regulations signed by CU registrar Debasish Das: “Students choosing a 4-year bachelor’s degree (single major with research course) are required to take up research projects under the guidance of a faculty member. The students shall have to complete the research in the 7th and 8th semester of 4 credits and 8 credits respectively (total 12 credits).”
Under the framework:
- Students exiting after the semester 2 receive a certificate
- Those exiting after semester 4 receive a diploma
- Those exiting after semester 6 receive a graduate degree
There is no ambiguity regarding the certificate or diploma. The confusion centres on the degree for those exiting after the sixth semester.
There is no ambiguity regarding the certificate or diploma. The confusion centres on the degree for those exiting after the sixth semester.
DU notification
Some CU officials have attributed the confusion to a notification issued by Delhi University on July 29, 2025, regarding multiple exit options.
The DU notification stated that after successful completion of semester VI (with 132 mandatory credits), a student may exit with a “degree/honours degree”, depending on the chosen programme. It further stated that after completing semester VIII (with 176 mandatory credits), a student may exit with “honours/honours with research/honours with entrepreneurship”.
A CU official said the NEP guidelines clearly mention that students exiting after the sixth semester are to be awarded a graduate degree.
“But the DU notification triggered the confusion. We do not know how DU will manage, but we will go by what the UGC says,” the official said.
At Jadavpur University and Presidency University, students exiting after three years will receive a graduate degree in line with UGC norms.CU VC Ghosh has assured that a clear decision will be announced “soon”.
More questions
The confusion is not limited to the four-year programme.
On Thursday, the CU syndicate formed a committee comprising college principals to decide the degree for students graduating under the three-year multidisciplinary programme (formerly known as pass papers).
In 2023, alongside the four-year programme, CU launched a three-year BA/BSc (Multidisciplinary) programme under the Curriculum and Credit Framework (CCF) aligned with NEP 2020 guidelines. Students choose from three broad disciplines — humanities, science and home science — combining two core subjects with one minor subject drawn from specialised pools.
“Under the three-year programme, we called them pass graduates. But the national curriculum framework does not recognise the multidisciplinary programme. So we have to find out the term that we can use when they graduate in July. I will speak to the UGC,” Ghosh said.