Gujarat University has approved 54 affiliated colleges and institutes to offer fourth-year Honours programmes under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The decision was finalised during the university’s executive council meeting held on May 3 and will allow nearly 5,500 interested final-year students to extend their three-year undergraduate degree by studying in Semesters 7 and 8.
Earlier, the university had invited applications from affiliated colleges seeking permission to conduct fourth-year Honours courses.
Under NEP 2020, students enrolled in three-year undergraduate programmes have the option to continue for a fourth year and obtain an Honours degree. Semesters 7 and 8 together form the fourth year of study. After completing the approval process, the university granted permission to 54 colleges to run these programmes.
According to university estimates, around 5,500 students out of nearly 35,000 currently studying in Semester 6 expressed interest in joining the Honours courses. Students wishing to pursue the fourth year must take admission in one of the approved colleges. However, those studying in colleges that received permission can continue there without changing institutions.
The university has also issued detailed guidelines for conducting the courses.
Colleges have been allowed to charge fees similar to those collected in Semesters 5 and 6. If institutions appoint additional faculty members for the programmes, their salaries will have to be paid from student fees until the government approves permanent staff positions.
The guidelines also specify salary structures for academic staff. Research associates possessing qualifications such as NET, SLET or PhD will receive ₹40,000 per month, while research assistants with postgraduate qualifications will be paid ₹22,500 per month.
The university further clarified that the fourth-year undergraduate Honours curriculum will not be treated as equivalent to the first year of postgraduate studies, maintaining a clear distinction between undergraduate and postgraduate programmes under the NEP framework.