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Delhi University officially secures its position in the prestigious list of Higher Education Institutes of India by receiving the highest NAAC grade, ‘A++’, on 9th August, 2025.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) recently bestowed upon Delhi University (DU) and Lucknow’s King George’s Medical University (KGMU) its highest accreditation grade of A++.

In the latest assessment, which was also the second cycle of evaluation, Delhi University was honoured with a CGPA of 3.55, reaffirming its position as one of the prominent institutions of the country. KGMU became the second medical institution in Uttar Pradesh to receive this excellence, earning a CGPA of 3.67.

In a public statement Delhi University proudly said,

This achievement reflects the collective dedication of our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and stakeholders.”

Before having received this certification, DU has had many of its individual institutions honoured with the same long before.

Shri Ram College of Commerce, the leading institution of DU was awarded with an A+ grade in the year 2016, with a CGPA of 3.65. In the second round of evaluation, it moved up to A++ accreditation with a CGPA rating of 3.75 now.

Two of Delhi University’s women colleges, namely Lady Shri Ram College and Miranda House have been awarded A++ in their second round of evaluation, with LSR bagging a CGPA of 3.75 in 2023. Similarly, Miranda House received the accreditation with a CGPA of 3.61. Joining the other acclaimed colleges, St. Stephens too received an accreditation of A++ in the year 2023 with a CGPA of 3.76 alongside Hansraj that bagged a grade of 3.71 CGPA. Other colleges like Ramjas, Kirori Mal, and Hindu also have an A+ grade conferred upon them.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established in 1994 by the University Grants Commission of India (UGC). It is an autonomous body that assesses and evaluates the quality status of a higher education institution and inspects the performance of the said educational body related to education, faculty, research, infrastructure, curriculum coverage, governance and much more. The council uses a seven-point grading system to evaluate colleges ranging from A++ to D. The accreditations are valid for a period of five years.

Although established in the year 1922, Delhi University received its first NAAC grade of A+ in the year 2018 with a CGPA of 3.28. The University worked its way up to the 6th position in the NIRF ranking amongst Universities in India and 15th position overall.

Image Source: DU Squad

Ananya Agarwal

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As part of their annual fest ‘Praasna’, the Department of Philosophy of St. Stephen’s College is organising a seminar which would witness bilateral talks between two delegations from Hindu College and St. Stephen’s College.

This unique event titled ‘Rethinking Rivalries’ would be themed around the heightened tensions in the relationship between St. Stephen’s College and Hindu College. In the same, two delegations of students from both colleges would brainstorm ideas about how to truncate the uneasiness in the relationship between the neighboring colleges. Member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor, who is also an alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, has been invited to lead the delegation from his alma mater while Managing Director of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, has consented to lead the delegation from Hindu College, his alma mater.
The event is expected to signify a shift from a spirit of competition to cooperation.

The rivalry, as considered in academic circles of the University of Delhi, between the two neighboring colleges is a well-known one. One interesting myth about the origin of this rivalry dates back to the year 1889. A young prodigy of a rich dad wanted admission in St. Stephen’s College but couldn’t make it. Disheartened, the rich dad decided to start a college right in front of St. Stephen’s. Thus, the foundation stone for Hindu College was laid, and along with it were laid the seeds of rivalry between the two colleges.

Legend has it that once, during the annual fest of St. Stephen’s College, posters were put up saying, ‘Hinduites And Dogs Not Allowed’. The college across the road then retaliated with posters saying, ‘Dogs Are Allowed But Not Stephanians’. This then led to a spate of protests and counter-protests between ‘Stephanians’ on one side of the road and ‘Hinduites’ on the other, with both sides exchanging risqué curses.
In fact, a certain rumor which does the rounds in North Campus is that whenever ‘Stephenians’ are scolded at college, they are told, ‘You don’t deserve to be here, your place is across the road’.

There are various reasons why both colleges love to hate each other, one of them being the difference in the cultures of the two. While students of Hindu College frown upon the exceptionally disciplined atmosphere at Stephen’s, students of the latter refer to the environment of Hindu College as ‘anarchical’ and ‘disruptive’.

This seminar is hoped to diminish the tension between the two colleges and bring about an ambiance of comradeship and amity, thereby enabling two of the best colleges of the University of Delhi to work together to establish eternal peace and prosperity.

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Feature Image Credits: The Times of India
Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
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