The University of Delhi (DU) has allowed select colleges to begin undergraduate admissions for the 2026-27 academic session based on Class 12 marks instead of Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores.The admissions will be based on merit. However, candidates will have to meet the eligibility requirements for the course they want to apply for.The Class 12-based admission option is available only for the specific courses and colleges mentioned in the university’s notice. It does not mean that all DU undergraduate courses will now admit students based on Class 12 marks.
DU colleges accepting Class 12 marks for admission
The colleges named in the notice include:
- Kalindi College
- P.G.D.A.V. College (Evening)
- Zakir Husain Delhi College (Evening)
- Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce
- Lakshmibai College
- Vivekanand College
- Rajdhani College
- Shyam Lal College
- Shyama Prasad Mukherji College for Women
- Aditi Mahavidyalaya
- Bhagini Nivedita College
Candidates should check the course-wise eligibility conditions before applying.
DU admissions 2026: Courses covered
The programmes covered under the Class 12 merit-based admission route include several Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) courses.These include BA (Honours) programmes in Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, Punjabi, Geography, History, Political Science, Hindi Journalism and Social Work.The list also includes BSc (Honours) Physics, BSc (Honours) Mathematics, BSc (Honours) Home Science, Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and BCom (Honours).Several BA Programme combinations are also included. These involve subjects such as History, Political Science, Sanskrit, Hindi, Economics, Mathematics, Geography, Music, Philosophy, Sociology, Community Science, Computer Applications, Psychology and Education.The notice also covers BSc Programme courses in Physical Science with Chemistry or Electronics, Applied Physical Sciences with Industrial Chemistry, and Physical Science with Computer Science or Informatics Practices.
Who can apply for DU Class 12-based admission?
The Class 12 merit route is meant for candidates who have not already taken admission to any college of the University of Delhi.Candidates must also meet the eligibility requirements prescribed for the particular programme. Admission will be based on their Class 12 marks and the applicable merit criteria.The university’s notice is limited to the courses and colleges mentioned in it. Students should therefore check whether their preferred programme is included before applying.
DU admission system: What has changed?
DU undergraduate admissions have generally been conducted through the Common University Entrance Test Undergraduate (CUET-UG) in recent years. CUET was introduced in 2022 as a common entrance route for undergraduate admissions.Before CUET was introduced, DU admissions were largely based on Class 12 marks and college-wise cut-offs. That system had faced criticism because some students secured extremely high or even perfect marks, while marking patterns differed across school boards.The introduction of CUET was aimed at giving students from different boards a common basis for admission.The latest decision, however, provides a Class 12-based admission route for selected courses and colleges for the 2026-27 academic session. It should not be treated as a return to the old admission system across DU.
