Uncertainty over fourth-year undergraduate programme leaves Tripura students in limbo

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, August 4, 2026

Thousands of students in Tripura who have become eligible to enter the seventh semester under the four-year undergraduate programme introduced as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 are awaiting clarity as the Higher Education Department, have not yet finalised the admission process for the current academic session.

The delay has created uncertainty for students enrolled in the State's 28 general degree colleges, more than a month after the academic session began.

Tripura rolled out the four-year undergraduate programme in the 2023–24 academic year under the NEP 2020. The programme was formally launched by Chief Minister and Education Minister Manik Saha at a function in Agartala.

However, concerns have since emerged over the availability of infrastructure and teaching staff required to implement the fourth year of the programme.

According to sources, government colleges have not received the additional infrastructure or faculty required for the expanded curriculum. Several teachers have also retired during the past three years, further increasing the shortage of academic staff.

Initially, Tripura University and MBB University had stated that students meeting the prescribed academic criteria by the end of the sixth semester would be eligible for admission to the fourth-year Honours programme.

The eligibility norms were subsequently revised, with the universities indicating that students securing at least 72 credits out of 120 by the end of the sixth semester, including those with back papers, would qualify for admission.

Officials in the Higher Education Department are understood to have estimated that more than 8,000 students across the State would become eligible under the existing norms.

Sources said accommodating such a large number of students would require additional classrooms, faculty and other infrastructure, which are presently unavailable.

To examine the issue, the Higher Education Department has constituted a committee comprising principals of government degree colleges. The committee is chaired by the Additional Director of Higher Education, while an Officer on Special Duty serves as its Member Secretary.

According to sources, the department has proposed that only students with no back papers and a minimum of 72 credits out of 120 be considered for admission to the fourth-year Honours programme. It has also suggested that instead of offering all Honours subjects in every college, selected institutions may be designated to conduct specific courses for clusters of colleges. The proposal is also said to include reducing classroom teaching from six days a week to three days a week in view of faculty and infrastructure constraints.

The reported proposal has caused concern among students who had expected admission under the universities' earlier eligibility criteria. Many fear that a change in the rules at this stage could affect their academic progression despite fulfilling the conditions previously notified.

Students and parents have sought an early decision from the authorities, stating that uncertainty over admissions has disrupted academic planning. They have also questioned why delays in infrastructure development and faculty recruitment should affect students who enrolled under the NEP framework with the expectation of completing the four-year programme.

Neither the Higher Education Department nor the two universities had issued a formal clarification on the admission process for the seventh semester at the time of filing this report.

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