DU's first NEP 2020 batch can soon complete their final year semester abroad

New Delhi : The students of Delhi University's first batch of NEP 2020 will soon have the opportunity to complete a semester of their final year at a foreign university, pending approval of recommendations from a committee tasked with operationalising the initiative.

These students, who are also the first batch of the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), will have the option to undertake a semester abroad at select Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) under a new twinning degree arrangement introduced by the university earlier this year.

A committee set up to determine the modalities for implementing the twinning degree arrangement has submitted its recommendations, which will be presented to the university's Academic Council for consideration on December 27.

According to the recommendations, the undergraduate students enrolled at the Delhi University from the 2022-23 academic year onwards will be permitted to study at a foreign university during their seventh semester.

The students in their first year will have the opportunity to study abroad during their third or fifth semester, while those in their second year will have the option to go abroad during their fifth or seventh semesters.

Under the arrangement, the students will be able to complete one semester abroad, earning a mini-mum of 12 credits and a maximum of 26 credits. Upon returning, the students will receive their degree from the Delhi University, the parent institution.

The twinning degree arrangement will also be accessible to the meritorious students from economically weaker backgrounds. The university plans to support one or two students from this category to participate in the program at a foreign university.

An objective selection process will be established to identify these students. The university's Interna-tional Relations Office will be responsible for initiating collaborations with the foreign universities for the twinning program, which will include negotiations on matters such as course fees, curriculum, stu-dent medical insurance, accommodation and other logistical arrangements.

Information about the available options will be posted on the university's website to ensure the stu-dents are well-informed. An academic expert committee will be formed to review the applications of the foreign universities with which the twinning degree arrangements will be made.

The eligibility criteria for FHEIs to be considered for collaboration will include their comparative or high-er ranking in global university rankings such as the QS World Rankings or Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings.

Specifically, FHEIs should have a ranking within 25 per cent lower than the Delhi University's ranking in the same year. If an FHEI's overall ranking does not meet this criterion, the university will consider the ranking of the specific discipline the student wishes to study, ensuring that the discipline's ranking is comparable to or higher than that of the same discipline at the Delhi University.