Campus Times | Lucknow 

In a city celebrated for its literary traditions, Urdu appears to be losing its appeal among the younger generation. Lucknow University, once known for strong demand for its Urdu postgraduate programme, is witnessing a sharp decline in enrolment, with only 45 students securing admission against 120 seats in the MA Urdu course this academic session.

The number, however, could rise to around 65 following the universitys decision to allow direct admissions to postgraduate programmes where seats remained vacant. Applications received under the direct admission process have added nearly 20 more prospective students to the departments existing count.

According to Dr Abbas Raza Nayyar, Senior Professor and Head of the Department of Urdu at Lucknow University, the situation marks a significant shift from the departments earlier years. He said there was a time when demand for MA Urdu was so high that the university had to increase the number of seats.

The department has been experiencing declining enrolment for nearly a decade, he said, largely because Urdu programmes are now available at several other institutions in Lucknow. Students who previously had limited options are now distributed among multiple universities and colleges.

Among the institutions offering Urdu-related postgraduate education are Shia PG College and Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University. The availability of programmes through open and distance-learning institutions has further widened students choices. The Maulana Azad National Urdu University, for instance, also offers scholarship support, making it an attractive option for some students.

The university had issued a notification on August 27 inviting direct applications for postgraduate programmes with vacant seats. Applicants were required to submit a copy of their application for the 2026-27 PG admission process, a self-attested application for direct admission and a self-attested copy of their Aadhaar card. The deadline for the direct admission process was August 31.

43 PG programmes report vacant seats

The enrolment challenge is not limited to Urdu. Lucknow University has identified vacant seats across 43 postgraduate programmes, for which admissions are being offered directly on the basis of merit.

Among the humanities and social science programmes with vacant seats are MA AIH & Archaeology, MA Acharya, MA Arab Culture, MA Arabic, MA Composite History, MA Defence Studies, Masters of Population Studies, MA French, MA Sanskrit, MA Urdu, MA Philosophy, MA Home Science, MA Linguistics, MA Public Policy and Governance, and MA Jyotish Vigyan.

Several science and technology-oriented programmes are also on the list, including MSc Environmental Sciences, Computer Science, Data Science and Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Cyber Security and Cyber Forensics, Renewable Energy, Molecular and Human Genetics, Food Processing and Technology, and Mathematics.

Vacancies have also been reported in programmes such as MBA Pharmaceutical Management, Master of Public Health, MA Education, MCom Applied Economics and MA Public Administration.

The trend reflects a broader change in postgraduate preferences, with students increasingly weighing career prospects, specialised programmes, scholarships and the availability of courses across institutions while choosing their fields of study.