Team Goemkarponn
TALEIGAO: Goa University (GU) has officially rolled out the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) for all its postgraduate programmes in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, marking a significant reform in its higher education framework.
The new system, implemented through Ordinance OA-35A, will be applicable from the academic year 2025–26 across master’s level programmes such as MA, MSc, MCom, MSW, MTTM, MPEd, MLI Sc, MBA (including MBA in Financial Services), MCA, and postgraduate diploma courses offered by both the University’s campus schools and affiliated colleges.
In view of the transition, GU has granted a one-time relaxation for Semester I students of the current academic year. Under this relaxation, students will be allowed to appear for the Semester-End Assessment (SEA) even if they have not completed the Intra-Semester Assessments (ISAs), though appearing for the SEA remains compulsory.
As per the ordinance, a Master’s degree will now require a minimum of 80 credits, while postgraduate diplomas and one-year master’s degrees (for students completing a four-year undergraduate programme) will need 40 credits. The framework distributes credits among core subjects, electives, research or dissertation work, and internships.
The University said that the CBCS aims to modernise postgraduate education, promoting flexibility, multidisciplinary learning, credit transfer, multiple exit options, and a stronger emphasis on employability.
For both theory and practical courses, the evaluation structure will assign 60% weightage to Internal Semester Assessments (ISA) and 40% to Semester-End Assessments (SEA). Each course will have one mid-semester examination contributing 50% of the ISA marks, while the remaining 50% will come from two additional assessments (25% each). For one-credit theory courses, only a mid-semester exam will be held, and one-credit practical courses will not include an ISA component.
Students must complete all required assessments — one mid-semester exam, at least one additional ISA, and the SEA — to qualify in a course. The University also clarified that ISA marks will be accepted as awarded, with no scaling or moderation, and no grace marks will be allowed under this system.
To accommodate genuine difficulties such as medical emergencies or natural calamities, GU has permitted students to make up any missed ISA components within the same semester, provided they are conducted before the final teaching day.
In addition, the ordinance establishes grievance redressal mechanisms at both university and college levels, CBCS coordination committees, and provisions for academic audit and feedback to ensure effective implementation and quality assurance.
With this move, Goa University joins several higher education institutions across the country in implementing NEP-aligned reforms to make postgraduate learning more flexible, accountable, and outcome-oriented.
