DU renames SOL, approves direct PhD for 4-year UG students
The University of Delhi’s Academic Council at its 1027th meeting on Friday approved the renaming of the School of Open Learning (SOL) as the Centre for Distance and Online Education and amended PhD regulations to allow students with four-year undergraduate degrees to apply directly for doctoral programmes. Apart from these, the council also approved a scholarship in the name of the late former Union Minister and former DUSU President Arun Jaitley for sports students. The council recorded that DU’s QS World University Rankings position has improved from the 521-530 bracket in 2022 to 322nd globally in 2027.
The meeting was chaired by Vice-Chancellor Prof Yogesh Singh, who was also congratulated by all members present on his reappointment for a second term. He is the first Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University to serve a second term.
Singh noted that DU’s overall score in the QS World University Rankings 2027 has risen to 43.8 from 23.5 in 2022, an improvement of approximately 200 places over four years, with the university holding the top position among Indian universities.
On the renaming of SOL, the Academic Council approved changing the institution’s name from the School of Open Learning to the Centre for Distance and Online Education and the designation of its head from Principal to Director.
The change is driven by the UGC’s revised 2022 provisions, which require any higher education institution other than an open university that wishes to run distance and online programmes to operate a Centre for Distance and Online Education headed by a Director with the rank of at least Associate Professor.
The School of Open Learning, previously known as the School of Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education, had received its current name under a 2003 Executive Council proposal approved by UGC in 2021.
On PhD eligibility, the amended regulations allow students who have completed a four-year undergraduate degree from Delhi University or its colleges with a minimum CGPA of 6.0 for general, OBC, and EWS categories and 5.5 for SC, ST, and PwBD categories, and who have at least one research publication in a Scopus-indexed journal as first, second, or corresponding author, to be considered for PhD admission. The faculty member who supervised the student during the undergraduate research component may continue to guide the same student for the PhD, provided the faculty member holds a PhD degree.
On the Arun Jaitley scholarship, three undergraduate students excelling in sports will receive scholarships annually on August 13, which is the inaugural event date set by the Scholarship Committee. The total scholarship value is `50,000 to be distributed equally among three recipients, funded from a corpus of `10 lakh over 20 years, with at least one scholarship reserved for a female student. Recipients must actively participate in sports and compete at national or international levels.
The Academic Council also approved a Certificate Course and a Diploma Course in Sanskrit Buddhism in the Department of Buddhist Studies from the 2026-27 session, a Master of Occupational Therapy course at PDUNIPPD, and five new Skill Enhancement Courses covering entrepreneurship, venture development, investor pitching, and library and information literacy skills under the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework 2022.
