1,700 sign up for 120 seats at Delhi University’s 5-year law courses

Delhi University has received over 1,700 applications for its new five-year integrated law course, but only has 120 seats available for the first batch. Classes are set to begin on November 10. The course, which has two programmes, BA LLB and BBA LLB, will be held at the Faculty of Law, with a permanent location to be determined later. Admissions are based on CLAT scores, and the university aims to complete the process soon. The fee structure of the programme, which is ₹1,90,000 per year, has come under scrutiny for being unaffordable for many students. However, the university has announced fee waivers for those with lower parental incomes.

The admission process to Delhi University’s new five-year integrated law course is underway and classes are scheduled to begin on November 10, according to university officials aware of the matter, who added that the university received over 1,700 applications against 120 seats for the first batch.

For now, the classes will be held at the Faculty of Law, Kanad Bhawan in North Campus, and will be shifted to a permanent location later. (ANI)

The Bar Council of India accorded its approval for the course on July 26 this year. The course has two programmes— BA LLB and BBA LLB, with 60 seats each. For now, the classes will be held at the Faculty of Law, Kanad Bhawan in North Campus, and will be shifted to a permanent location later.

“There were over 1,700 applications for 120 seats, proving that there is a demand among students. Admissions, which are based on CLAT scores, will be completed soon. We aim to begin classes by November 10,” said Prakash Singh, director of DU’s South Campus.

In August, the decision to use CLAT scores was challenged in the Delhi high court after a student filed a petition which said that the university should use Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores for admissions. The HC in September allowed the university to admit students based on CLAT for the first year. The registration window was open between September 27 and October 12.

Professor Anju Vali Tikoo, dean of the Faculty of Law said, “We have not done away with the three-year law course since it is a sought-after course. The new course is an add-on, keeping in mind the growing demand among students.”

The fee structure of the programmes — ₹1,90,000 per year—had come under the scanner in an academic council meeting in August, where professors said the fees would not be affordable for many.

Professor Tikoo said, “Naturally, the courses will be slightly more expensive than regular courses, as it has all the facilities being provided by other law colleges, such as international exposure, placements, and moot court competitions, among others.”

The university administration earlier said that candidates whose parental income is ₹4 lakh or less will be eligible for a 90% waiver of fees, and those with parental income of more than ₹4 lakh and less than ₹8 lakh are eligible for a 50% waiver.