With the four-year degree course, students can no longer study chartered accountancy and a baccalaureate of commerce together. This will come as a setback to those students who were planning to pursue both these qualifications simultaneously.

Says Karan Aggarwal, a chartered accountant, "The three-year programme offered some scope to students to pursue CA while pursuing graduation. But, now, students will no longer be able to pursue a regular commerce degree and CA together. Till last year, students could time their internships in a way in which they could finish both these qualifications simultaneously . But now, with an additional year to study, they will not be able to do so."

It is not only the extended year, but the changed commerce syllabus that will also affect these students. With taxation subjects missing from the new proposed course, most CA aspirants will be affected. "When I was a student at DU, papers on indirect tax, corporate tax planning, etc, helped me gain an understanding of taxation . Now, students will have to rely on tuitions to clear their fundamental concepts," says Aggarwal who completed his BCom (H) from DU and CA from the ICAI simultaneously .

In a situation like this, students wanting to enroll for CA can look at the IP University's and School of Open Learning's BCom (H) programme . Both these courses follow the old syllabus and are of three years' duration. Ignou is also another option for students wanting to pursue both these programmes together. While the student community is concerned, JP Sharma, head, department of commerce, and dean faculty of commerce and business, is of the opinion that there is no connect between these two programmes. "Also, not many students who study commerce in DU are interested in CA," he adds.