The merit-based undergraduate admissions in the University of Delhi got mired in controversies in the name of region and ideology to the extent of terming it as “marks jihad.” After the first cut-off list of DU undergraduate admission 2021, many students with a perfect score of 100% got admitted, predominantly belonging to the Kerala board, thus provoking nepharious remarks of “marks jihad.” The bottom-line argument was that admission in DU, a central university, should be merit-based and accesible to all. The National Education Policy has to suggest ways to accommodate a larger number of students to ensure quality undergraduate education. As a national university, DU needs to facilitate distinctive plurality by adopting more inclusive admission policies and making its teaching–learning more global.
