Fourth-Year of FYUP: The UG Students’ Dilemma

By H. Srikanth

Soon the first batch of NEHU UG students admitted under the Four-Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP) will complete their third year. Earlier, those who successfully completed a three-year degree program were awarded an honours degree. But now, under the FYUP, they must study for one more year to secure an Honours degree. The statutory academic bodies in NEHU have designed the syllabus for the fourth-year of FYUP. All that the NEHU PG departments taught for the first-year PG program is now transferred to the fourth-year degree course under FYUP. Only students who complete the courses will obtain a Degree with Honours or a Degree with Research and Honors. If the students drop out after three years, they only get a degree. Naturally, every student will wonder whether to stop with a three-year degree or go for the fourth year to secure an Honours degree.

Last year, the Meghalaya Chapter of All India Save Education (AISEC) published two reports in The Shillong Times (TST, December 2 and 9, 2025) reflecting the experiences of students and teachers with the FYUP. The study showed how the syllabus and curriculum were drastically changed in the colleges, increasing the number of core papers and including value-added and vocational courses and internships. Hardly any effort was made to increase the number of teachers in the UG colleges. As a result, the UG teachers’ teaching and exam load has doubled. It has also come to light that college fees rose considerably after introducing the FYUP, and several students have dropped out of the degree courses. Several students have complained that they get little time to study the core courses and cannot secure good scores because they must sit for too many exams in too little time. As they move to the fourth-year degree, their problems will only multiply, as no one seems to be interested in addressing their issues. The NEHU authorities, the state government and the college managements behave as if everything is fine with the FYUP in Meghalaya.

Initially, the central government enticed the state governments and the universities to introduce the FYUP. Everyone believed that the NEP 2020 would enhance the educational standards and align our education system with those in the US, Canada, and Australia. The FYUP promised to introduce alternative courses, an innovative ranking and evaluation system, multidisciplinary courses, vocational courses, research orientation, and alignment with international institutions of repute. To implement these measures effectively, one requires adequate public funding, improved infrastructure, additional qualified faculty, and institutional preparedness. But the central government, which introduced the NEP 2020, virtually did nothing to provide these essential requirements. Public funding for higher education has reduced drastically in recent times. Even the central universities are facing a financial crunch and running the courses with little money and fewer faculty. The problem is even more acute at the UG level, where most of the colleges are private. When reputed universities like Delhi University complain about the difficulties in implementing the FYUP, one can imagine the fate of colleges in the peripheral regions.

Barring a handful of elite city-based colleges, most UG colleges in the state lack the capacity or resources to run the FYUP. Left to themselves, several UG colleges may not even opt for the fourth-year degree course under the FYUP. A standard three-year degree is more than sufficient to meet the needs of students aspiring for most competitive exams. A three-year degree is enough to take admission to a two-year PG course offered by Indian universities. The only hitch is that although students complete 33 papers with 120 credits in their three-year degree course, the three-year degree is legally not considered an Honors degree. But should that consideration alone compel students to pursue the fourth year? Do students secure better jobs in the government or private sector if they complete a four-year degree? Will they get admission to reputed foreign universities for higher studies? Do they become eligible for direct admission to the PG courses or to the research programs within the country? Unfortunately, those who pushed for the FYUP do not answer these questions.

In recent years, the value of the rupee has declined so much that studying in foreign universities has become unaffordable even for students coming from upper-middle-class families. Countries like the US and Canada are imposing restrictions on the entry of Indian students, and those already there are facing several problems. No state or central government has declared any incentive for the students doing the FYUP. Given that not all UG students have academics as their career option, it makes little sense to burden all students with research programs or advanced academic courses. Further, it needs to be clear to the students that there is little chance of getting into one-year PG courses or doing a Ph.D. directly bypassing the PG courses. We do not have even a handful of universities in India today that have adopted a one-year PG program. Lucknow University is the only university that claimed it introduced a One-Year PG to accommodate FYUP students. Delhi University claims it passed the resolution to start one-year PG, but teachers’ associations are protesting the resolution passed without proper dialogue and discussion. Most other universities have taken no initiative. So, the fate of students who complete a four-year degree is unclear.

The situation at NEHU is no better. By now, it is clear to everyone that NEHU adopted the FYUP without proper groundwork. The state government and the college managements passively fell in line with the VC of NEHU, Prof. P.S. Shukla, who was bent on introducing the FYUP without preparing the groundwork for the same. Now, Prof. Shukla’s term as VC is officially ending soon, but the problems his absence created will continue to affect the functioning of the university and its affiliated colleges. No one knows when a new VC will be appointed or whether the new VC would be better or worse off than the incumbent one.

Of late, like many other public universities, NEHU has been facing a severe financial crisis in recent years, affecting the quality of teaching and research programs. The PG departments themselves find it difficult to implement the NEP at the PG level, as there are no additional funds/resources for students doing research at the PG level. The students are spending a considerable amount to complete the PG dissertations. Some resort to foul means and get dissertations written by AI or by professionals. As many senior teachers have retired and the vacancies are not filled up, the teachers in some departments are supervising seven to 10 PG dissertations. It is very unlikely that the teachers would take on additional load and go for a one-year PG program. Given this situation, what will be the future of the students who opt to complete the fourth-year under the FYUP? Is it not better for them to stop with a three-year degree and take admission to PG courses in NEHU rather than doing the fourth-year FYUP in UG colleges where we lack resources and qualified teachers? Should the students and parents waste time and money to pursue the fourth year under FYUP? It is high time those defending the FYUP explain how pursuing the fourth year of the degree under FYUP helps, so that students and their parents can make an informed and rational decision.