Delhi University has proposed a ₹5,157-crore hostel expansion plan that would create accommodation for more than 20,594 students, with a focus on improving access to safe and affordable housing for students arriving from other states.
The proposal is included in the agenda and project documents placed before the university’s Executive Council. It covers new hostel blocks, women’s accommodation projects and other residential facilities across several DU campuses and affiliated institutions. The plan remains proposed and would need to move through the university’s approval, financing and construction processes.
At the Dhaka campus, the university has proposed large hostel blocks for male and female students. Hostels with capacity for 1,036 students each have also been proposed at Veer Savarkar College in Najafgarh and the Dwarka West Campus. A residential block with capacity for 2,340 students is planned at the Surajmal Vihar East Campus.
The proposed buildings are expected to include three-bed rooms, balconies, attached bathrooms, reading rooms, dining halls, gyms, Wi-Fi connectivity and lifts. The plan also includes the redevelopment of Jubilee Hall and the postgraduate men’s hostel, as well as a separate hostel for international students.
The university has linked the expansion to the DU Master Plan 2047, which proposes using limited campus land more efficiently through taller buildings. Some of the proposed hostel structures could rise to 31 or 32 floors. The documents outline a 30-month project schedule, including six months for planning and 24 months for construction.
The scale of the proposal reflects the pressure on accommodation in Delhi’s university system, particularly for students who cannot rely on family housing in the city. The plan’s stated objective is to increase hostel capacity while providing facilities that support study, daily living and campus access. However, the proposal does not establish how many students currently remain without university accommodation or how hostel allotments would be prioritised.
Pankaj Garg, chairman of the university’s Institute of Eminence committee, said the projects should not reduce existing hostel capacity during redevelopment. He said new hostels should be built before older facilities are reconstructed so that students already living on campus do not lose their places.
The proposal has also triggered questions about the geographic balance of investment between DU’s North and South campuses. Executive Council member Aman Kumar welcomed the expansion but said the South Campus should receive equal attention, particularly on student safety. He referred to the recent incident in the Satya Niketan area and argued that safety measures should not differ between students based on their campus.
Dean of Colleges Balaram Pani said the proposed expansion would strengthen the safety and accommodation options available to students coming from outside Delhi. The next steps will involve consideration of the proposals, financing arrangements, project planning and approvals before construction can begin.
