Delhi University’s direct-PhD route for four-year graduates closes 16 September — no master’s needed
DU has extended registration to 16 September for FYUP graduates of 2026 who want to go straight into a PhD without a master’s degree. You need 7.5 CGPA (7.0 for SC/ST), and applications go through pgportal.uod.ac.in.
The University of Delhi has extended the deadline for its direct PhD admission for four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) graduates to 16 September 2026. Applications are on pgportal.uod.ac.in.
What this route actually is
Under the National Education Policy framework, a four-year honours-with-research degree can be treated as sufficient preparation for doctoral work. DU has opened a one-time direct pathway letting students who finished the fourth year in 2026 register for a PhD without first doing a master's. For anyone certain about a research career, that is two years and one degree's worth of fees removed from the path.
Eligibility
- UR, OBC-NCL and EWS: minimum 7.5 CGPA in the four-year programme
- SC and ST: minimum 7.0 CGPA
- Registration fee: ₹250 for UR/OBC-NCL/EWS, ₹100 for other categories
The cohort this was built for
DU's first FYUP batch entered in 2022 with 75,948 students. Of those, 40,005 exited after the third year in 2025 and 35,943 stayed for the fourth year — and it is that group the direct-PhD window is aimed at. It is a large pool chasing a supervisor-limited number of places, so the CGPA bar is a floor, not a shortlist.
Before you click apply
A PhD is admitted by a department and supervised by a person, not by a portal. Read the department's research areas and identify two or three faculty whose work genuinely overlaps with your fourth-year research project, and say so in your application. And be honest with yourself about the trade: skipping the master's saves two years, but it also removes the stage where most people discover whether they actually enjoy research. If your fourth-year project was the best part of your degree, this route fits. If it was the part you endured, do the master's.
CareerBox News Desk — reporting on the PhD admission notification issued by the University of Delhi for 2026-27. Official portal: pgportal.uod.ac.in. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.