Few takers for early exit under NEP’s ME-ME option

Few takers for early exit under NEP’s ME-ME option 

Science and Humanities students prefer to complete full 3-year term

Sonal.Srivastava@timesofindia.com. 21.07.2025

Despite being a key feature of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Multiple Entry and Multiple Exit (ME-ME) system has not gained the popularity it was expected to among students. Not many students have opted to exit programmes after two or four semesters in universities. 

According to academicians, most undergraduate students continue to prefer completing a full three-year degree. The UGC first issued the ME-ME guidelines in 2021. For those who enrolled in the 2022-23 Academic Year (AY) in the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), the option to enrol in the fourth year or exit with a three-year degree has opened in 2025. “Very few students drop out after the first or second year. Most students, especially in science and humanities, either leave within the first semester or continue for the entire three years. Many take JEE or NEET exams, so families are hesitant to pay full fees for a science programme only to drop out months later,” says Abha Dev Habib, associate professor, Miranda House, Delhi University (DU).

 “After three years, many students are likely to leave, and DU has already issued a circular stating that students who have completed six semesters can exit,” she adds. Habib warns that the ME-ME system risks institutionalising dropout rather than offering genuine flexibility. “Trying to extract meaningful certifications from a four-year degree programme at arbitrary exit points — after just one or two years—is not feasible. At best, meaningful degrees can be awarded after three or four years but not before,” she says. In Maharashtra, the ME-ME system was introduced under NEP 2020 in autonomous colleges from the academic year 2023-24, and in non-autonomous colleges from 2024-25. 

Currently, this is the second year of its implementation. Whether a candidate has cleared their exams or not, they are permitted to continue under the Allowed to Keep Term (ATKT) provision. “As of now, students have not applied for exit, though they are permitted to do so. They are eligible to exit either after two semesters or after four semesters. Since the system started in 2023-24, the first FYUP graduating batch will complete the full four-year cycle in 2025-26. Students can choose to exit based on personal circumstances, for example, if they get a job or need to leave for other reasons, and they also have the option to return and rejoin the programme later,” says MS Kurhade, director, Sanskar Sarjan Education Society, Maharashtra, and former registrar, University of Mumbai.

 “The curriculum for the fourth year is still under development. A tentative framework has been prepared; for example, the four-year programme will consist of 176 credits. Students who are not planning to pursue an academic or research career may exit after three years and complete the standard two-year postgraduate degree if they wish to continue their education,” adds Kurhade.