State issues rider for colleges offering fourth-year Hons programme

The rider has been included in guidelines issued by the state higher and technical education department on Monday. Approval will also be contingent on infrastructure, qualified faculty, research facilities, the institution’s NAAC grade and overall academic capacity

MUMBAI: Offering Honours or Honours with Research courses in the fourth year undergraduate programme now comes with a rider – only colleges that also have post-graduate (PG) courses or a PhD research centre in the same subject will receive automatic approval for the Honours programme.

State issues rider for colleges offering fourth-year Hons programme

The rider has been included in guidelines issued by the state higher and technical education department on Monday. Approval will also be contingent on infrastructure, qualified faculty, research facilities, the institution’s NAAC grade and overall academic capacity.

These eligibility rules are part of the broader guidelines issued for the fourth year under the National Education Policy (NEP), which will start from the academic year 2026–27.

The four-year undergraduate programme is divided into eight semesters. After completing the first three years, students can either exit with a regular degree or continue to the fourth year. Students who complete the fourth year will receive an Honours degree, while those opting for the research track will have to complete a research project or dissertation to earn an Honours with Research degree.

The new guidelines state that colleges already offering PG courses and that have recognised PhD guides can start the fourth year without additional approval. However, other colleges will need to apply and follow university procedures.

Students will have the option of lateral entry, which means they can join the fourth year in another college if their current college does not offer it. This will depend on seat availability and university rules.

The guidelines also cover professional courses like BE and BTech, which will follow a four-year structure under the new framework. Engineering students will have multiple options such as pursuing a regular degree with a major subject and a minor, choosing double minors including emerging specialisations, or opting for an Honours degree by taking additional credits in their core subject.