Delhi University Semester Exams Hit by Major Disruption as Question Papers Fail to Reach Centres

Delhi‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ University's semester examinations on Saturday turned out to be a total mess when a large number of question papers did not reach examination centres on time, thus the long waiting times, or outright cancellations, were reported in several subjects. As a result, the university's exam management and preparedness have been heavily criticized.

The disruption mainly hit the exams of the morning session which were to start at 9:30 am. There were students at a number of colleges who were kept waiting for hours and yet no official information was provided. While some exams managed to start at around noon, others had to be cancelled altogether.

The university side of the story is that almost 800 papers were to be taken in the morning slot and about 140, 000 students were to appear in Delhi University colleges. However, due to some failure in the dispatch of the papers, more than 35 undergraduate disciplines, specific elective (DSE) papers could not be delivered on time.

The issue is reported to have mainly affected the seventh, semester students of undergraduate courses, particularly those in science and computer science streams. Some examination centres claimed that question papers were not delivered during the scheduled window.

It is worth mentioning that two computer science subjects, Digital Image Processing and Compiler Design, were the ones that suffered the most. Moreover, the officials informed that these papers were received at centres not before almost 12:50 pm, and thus the exams could not be conducted as scheduled.

Exams delayed and cancelled

Examinations in some centres were delayed by almost two to four hours due to the disruption, and, in other situations, students were asked to leave after long waiting times. According to university insiders, around 10 papers have to be cancelled, thus over 100 students will be affected, while a small number of tests have been conducted under difficult conditions later in the day.

Students said that the situation was difficult since it was chaotic and unorganised, and also that the authorities did not communicate effectively during the time they were waiting.

Delhi University responds

Delhi University acknowledged the mistake and expressed its regrets on the inconvenience caused to students in the official statement released later the same day.

The university mentioned that papers for the majority of subjects had been planned and scheduled as usual. The statement, however, revealed that a handful of papers had not been dispatched due to logistical challenges. Besides, it affirmed that the issue was eventually sorted and all remaining papers were dispatched.

Revised plan for affected students

Facilities have been put in place for the affected students with a modified plan.

The university has made provisions for the students who will be affected by the modifications. Those Honours students who had to take three core papers but were allotted four exam slots will be able to write their papers in the three remaining slots.

The university said that new dates will be communicated to programme course students separately. The‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ official announcement states that the examinations which have been cancelled will be rescheduled by the second week of January 2026.

Students are advised to regularly check the official Delhi University website in order to be informed about the changes in the timetable and other ‍‌updates.