Implementation of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme Under NEP 2020 In Indian Universities

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes (UGC) 2022 introduced a four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP/FYUGP) with multiple entry and exit points, multidisciplinary course baskets, an Academic Bank of Credits, and a research-oriented fourth year. The first full cohorts were at that fourth year in 2025–26 for the first time, and so it was possible to take a first look at the effect of the reform on students and teachers. The aims are: (i) to map the current status of FYUP in Indian universities with regards to penetration and speed; (ii) to understand student perception and preference on the programme and the optional fourth year; (iii) to understand faculty perception of preparedness, workload and quality; and (iv) to understand implementation gaps between the student perception and faculty perception. Design: Qualitative – descriptive, secondary data only. Thirty-three documents were analysed, including policy and regulatory texts, Ministry of Education statistics and Parliamentary replies, peer-reviewed documents, documents produced by the universities (IQAC) and verified documents from education-press surveys. Quantitative data was tabulated and crosschecked from one source to another and qualitative data was coded using thematic synthesis method. Findings: Adoption increased to approximately 200 universities within a few months of the announcement, but was uneven: In July 2026, 20 of 46 central universities either did not implement the provision or were not in year 4. The picture painted by surveys is broadly positive with students indicating a positive attitude towards flexibility and multidisciplinarity, but the picture shown by behavioural data is far less positive: out of the first 75,948 students, 47.3% managed to graduate in 4 years; more than 60% of this cohort failed to do so in 2026. The various issues on faculty evidence can be summarised under two headings: approval of the curriculum from within college and anxiety about load, examination load, capacity to supervise research, and often changing rules. Core Point: There is significantly more agreement with the design of FYUP than there is with the delivery of FYUP. The fourth year's value is related to supervision capacity, well-defined progression pathways to postgraduate study and constancy of regulations. The paper suggests that the fourth year be delivered in clusters, faculty be hired based on the number of credits they teach, and that there be national consistency in tracking student opt-in selections.