Guidelines at a Delhi University (DU) job fair that excluded students of the School of Open Learning (SOL) have triggered protests, with affected students demonstrating during the event held on campus on Friday (March 20, 2026).
The controversy arose after official guidelines for the job fair specified that “only regular students are eligible”, barring the students of SOL from taking part in the placements. This led to a protest by student groups, including Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan. The protesting students highlighted that the poster of the job fair specifies that “only regular students are eligible”. Further, guidelines shared by DU colleges stated that “SOL students cannot apply for jobs”.
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The protesters argue that students of SOL are usually from marginalised communities and deserve the same opportunities. There are currently around 4 lakh SOL students, according to officials. Following the on-campus agitation, the students were assured that the university would “make arrangements” for the next job fair. In a video, Dean of Students’ Welfare Ranjan Kumar Tripathi can be heard saying that while SOL has many students, the university will work on a plan to include them in the future.
