Delhi School of Economics MA Economics Admission — via CUET (PG) (DSE Entrance (CUET PG))

What this exam is

The Delhi School of Economics (DSE) at the University of Delhi offers one of the most prestigious MA Economics programmes in India. Admission to this programme has historically been associated with a highly competitive departmental entrance test — the “DSE Entrance” — which tested microeconomics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics, and statistics at an advanced undergraduate level.

As of the 2023–24 academic year, the University of Delhi fully transitioned all postgraduate admissions — including MA Economics at DSE — to the Common University Entrance Test (CUET PG), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The Department of Economics no longer conducts its own entrance examination. The 2023 MA Handbook of Information published by DSE explicitly states: “Admissions to Postgraduate Programme in Economics at the University of Delhi (UoD) will be based on the scores obtained in Common University Entrance Test (PG) – 2023.” The University of Delhi Bulletin of Information 2026–27 confirms that “Only the scores obtained in CUET (PG) - 2026 will be considered for admissions to Two-Year Postgraduate Programmes at UoD.”

The relevant CUET PG paper is COQP10 — Economics (paper code). It is a 90-minute computer-based test with 75 MCQs covering microeconomics, macroeconomics, statistical methods, mathematical methods, and the Indian economy.

For students targeting the DSE MA Economics programme, this page covers what the CUET PG Economics test actually tests, how to interpret your score in the context of DSE admissions, and what the competitive landscape looks like.

Who should take this exam

CUET PG Economics (COQP10) is the required test for any candidate seeking admission to MA Economics at the University of Delhi, including the flagship programme at Delhi School of Economics. This exam is relevant to:

• Students completing or recently finishing a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, or any discipline with Mathematics at the 10+2 or undergraduate level
• Candidates from outside University of Delhi seeking access to DSE through Category 1 (the open merit category requiring Mathematics background)
• University of Delhi BA (Hons) Economics graduates, who form Category 2 and are evaluated separately within the DU-internal quota

DSE’s MA Economics draws applicants from across India. Despite there being approximately 290 seats (145 Category 1 and 145 Category 2, across all reservation categories), the programme remains extremely competitive. In CUET PG 2025, approximately 20,000 candidates registered for COQP10 Economics nationally, with about 15,800 appearing for the exam — and a large proportion of that cohort targets DU programmes. Given the seat count and the talent pool, candidates realistically need to score in the top 2–5% to secure a DSE seat in the general category.

The exam is also the admission gateway for MA Economics at other University of Delhi departments and colleges, as well as at other CUET-participating universities including Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Hyderabad Central University, and many others.

Exam pattern and structure

CUET PG Economics (COQP10) is a single-paper, computer-based test. All questions are compulsory MCQs; there is no optional section.

Parameter	Details
Mode	Computer-Based Test (CBT)
Duration	90 minutes
Total questions	75
Total marks	300
Question type	MCQs (all compulsory)
Marking scheme	+4 for correct answer, −1 for incorrect answer
Negative marking	Yes
Medium	Bilingual (English and Hindi)
Sections	1 (all domain-specific)

The paper is conducted in a single 90-minute shift. Based on the 2025 schedule, the Economics paper was held on 28 March 2025 (Shift 1, 9:00 AM–10:30 AM). Exact dates vary each year and are announced by NTA.

Difficulty level: Exam analysis from the 2025 sitting rated the paper as moderate to difficult, with a mix of conceptual theory questions, application-based numerical problems, and data interpretation. Strong performance on all five content areas is expected for DSE-competitive scores. Expected “good attempts” for DSE-level aspirants are typically 60+ out of 75, with scores above 200/300 being competitive for general category seats.

Syllabus overview

The CUET PG Economics syllabus (COQP10) is published officially by NTA and covers the following areas:

Microeconomics

This section tests undergraduate-level microeconomic theory:

• Consumer theory: demand functions, utility theory, indifference curve analysis, revealed preference theory, consumer surplus
• Production theory: production functions, law of variable proportions, returns to scale, cost functions (short-run and long-run)
• Market structures: perfect competition, monopoly, price discrimination, monopolistic competition, duopoly and oligopoly models (Cournot, Bertrand, Stackelberg)
• General equilibrium: Walrasian equilibrium, efficiency under pure exchange and production, welfare economics, externalities

Microeconomics at DSE historically receives heavy weight. The level corresponds to Varian’s Intermediate Microeconomics and parts of Snyder & Nicholson’s Fundamentals of Microeconomics.

Macroeconomics

This section covers standard intermediate macroeconomic frameworks:

• National income accounting: measurement of GDP, GNP, NNP
• Income and output determination: Aggregate Demand-Aggregate Supply framework, Keynesian effective demand, classical theory
• Money and inflation: money demand and supply, money multiplier, high-powered money, credit creation, RBI and commercial bank roles, quantitative theory of money, Phillips Curve
• Monetary and fiscal policy: instruments, transmission mechanisms, India-specific context
• Consumption and investment: permanent income, relative income, and life-cycle hypotheses; investment determinants; multiplier-accelerator framework
• Open economy macroeconomics: IS-LM-BP framework, Mundell-Fleming model, balance of payments, exchange rate determination, purchasing power parity
• Economic growth: Harrod-Domar model, Solow growth model

Statistical Methods in Economics

• Descriptive statistics: mean, median, mode, dispersion measures, skewness, quartile deviation, standard deviation
• Correlation analysis
• Simple regression model, probability distributions, sampling theory

Mathematical Methods in Economics

• Sets and vectors
• Functions of one and several real variables
• Single and multi-variable optimisation techniques
• Integration of functions
• Difference equations and differential equations
• Determinants and matrix algebra
• Linear programming, probability

Mathematical Economics has traditionally been a high-differentiating section. Candidates with strong calculus and linear algebra backgrounds tend to score better in this area. The level corresponds to Sydsaeter & Hammond’s Mathematics for Economic Analysis.

Indian Economy

• Colonial economy overview: national income trends, agrarian structure, land relations, agricultural markets, famines
• Railways and industry: deindustrialisation debate, industrial structure, labour relations
• Economy and the imperial state: drain of wealth, colonial fiscal policy
• New Economic Policy (post-1991 liberalisation)
• Public economics: public goods, externalities, budget, deficits, public debt, fiscal federalism in India
• Taxation: economic effects, deadweight loss, efficiency vs. equity, optimal taxation
• International trade theories: Smith, Ricardo, Heckscher-Ohlin model, new trade theories

Eligibility and registration

Minimum eligibility

Category 1A (open to all universities): Three-year or four-year Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university AND Mathematics at the 10+2 level OR at least four credits (one course) in Mathematics at the undergraduate level.

Category 1B: Master’s degree from a recognised university with the same Mathematics requirement as 1A.

Category 2 (DU-internal seats): Three-year or four-year BA (Hons.) in Economics from the University of Delhi OR a four-year Bachelor’s degree with Major/Minor in Economics from the University of Delhi.

Minimum aggregate marks: 50% for UR/OBC-NCL/EWS candidates; 45% for SC/ST/PwBD candidates.

Candidates who are appearing in their qualifying examination and whose results are awaited are eligible to apply for CUET PG, but must fulfil all eligibility requirements at the time of actual admission.

Registration process

1. Register for CUET PG on the NTA portal: https://exams.nta.ac.in/CUET-PG/
2. Select COQP10 (Economics) as your test paper
3. After CUET PG score declaration, apply to the University of Delhi’s Common Seat Allocation System — PG (CSAS-PG) on the admission portal: https://admission.uod.ac.in/
4. Fill programme preferences and participate in the seat allocation rounds

The Department of Economics at DSE has no role in the registration or seat allocation process. All queries must be directed to the NTA helpline (for exam-related issues) or the University of Delhi admission portal (for allocation queries).

Typical CUET PG registration window: January–February each year, with exams in March. Exact dates vary and are announced by NTA.

Foreign nationals are exempt from CUET PG. For MA Economics, foreign candidates must submit GRE scores and two letters of recommendation and apply through the Foreign Students’ Registry: https://fsr.du.ac.in/.

Cutoffs and score interpretation

There is no officially published programme-specific cutoff for DSE MA Economics from CUET PG scores. University of Delhi publishes merit lists — not score cutoffs — after the CUET PG result declaration. The 2024–25 First Merit List published by DSE showed scores for selected candidates, confirming merit-based allocation.

Based on available data from 2025 exam analysis and post-admission reports, the following score ranges are indicative for DSE admission:

Category	Indicative Score Range (out of 300)
General (UR)	180–200+
OBC-NCL	160–180
SC	140–160
ST	120–140

These ranges are estimates only. Actual cutoffs depend on:

• Difficulty of the CUET PG Economics paper in a given year (normalised score)
• Total number of candidates and their performance distribution
• Number of seats (may vary year to year)

For context, the national pool for COQP10 in 2025 was approximately 15,800 appeared candidates across all participating universities. DSE seats are fewer than 300 total, making this one of the most competitive seats per applicant ratios among all CUET PG Economics programmes.

Candidates targeting DSE should aim for scores comfortably above 200/300 (approx. 67% and above) to be competitive in the general category.

Colleges and programmes that accept this exam

Primary destination:

• Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi — MA Economics (approximately 290 seats across categories, offered by the Department of Economics)

CUET PG COQP10 scores are also accepted by multiple other universities participating in the CUET PG ecosystem. Within the University of Delhi, other departments and colleges may also offer MA Economics seats on the basis of the same COQP10 score. Outside DU, major programmes accepting COQP10 scores include:

• Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) — MA Economics
• Banaras Hindu University — MA Economics
• University of Hyderabad — MA Economics
• Delhi University South Campus departments

Seat breakdown at DSE (MA Economics):

Category	Category 1 Seats	Category 2 Seats (DU-internal)
UR	59	59
SC	21	22
ST	11	11
OBC-NCL	39	39
EWS	15	14
Total	145	145

Numbers are as per the University of Delhi Bulletin of Information 2026–27 and may vary each year.

Related programmes:

Once admitted to DSE’s MA Economics, students take a structured two-year programme comprising six compulsory core courses and nine elective courses. The first-year core includes Microeconomic Theory, Introductory Mathematical Economics, Introductory Econometrics, Macroeconomic Theory, Introduction to Game Theory, and Economic Development & Policy in India. The programme is conducted entirely in English, has a strong theory and quantitative orientation, and is one of the most research-rigorous economics master’s degrees in India.

How to prepare

Preparation for CUET PG Economics (COQP10) in the context of targeting DSE admission requires a focused approach across all five content areas.

Core textbooks

The syllabus maps closely to standard undergraduate economics texts:

• Microeconomics: H. Varian, Intermediate Microeconomics (8th ed.); C. Snyder & W. Nicholson, Fundamentals of Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics: O. Blanchard, Macroeconomics (5th ed.); N.G. Mankiw, Macroeconomics; R. Dornbusch, S. Fischer & R. Startz, Macroeconomics
• Mathematical Economics: K. Sydsaeter & P. Hammond, Mathematics for Economic Analysis; A.C. Chiang & K. Wainwright, Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics
• Statistics and Econometrics: J.L. Devore, Probability and Statistics for Engineers; C. Dougherty, Introduction to Econometrics
• Indian Economy: Standard texts on Indian economic history and development economics

Preparation strategy

Microeconomics and Mathematical Economics tend to be the highest-differentiating sections at the DSE-competitive score range. These require rigorous problem-solving practice, not just conceptual understanding.

Mathematical Economics deserves dedicated preparation. Questions test optimisation of functions, constrained optimisation (Lagrangian method), matrix algebra, and differential/difference equations. This section rewards candidates from Mathematics or Mathematical Economics backgrounds.

Indian Economy requires familiarity with economic history (colonial period), India’s development trajectory, and public finance. This section draws on a broader knowledge base and is less amenable to last-minute preparation.

Practice with previous years’ DSE entrance papers (pre-2023) remains highly relevant because the difficulty level and content overlap significantly with CUET PG Economics. Old DSE papers are available on the official website at econdse.org.

NTA CUET PG mock tests are available through the official NTA portal and help with CBT familiarity and time management. With 75 questions in 90 minutes (72 seconds per question), pacing is critical.

Timeline

A six-month preparation window is realistic for candidates with a solid undergraduate Economics or Mathematics background. Candidates without prior exposure to mathematical economics may need 9–12 months. CUET PG typically opens for registration in January, with the exam in March.

Key dates and timeline

The following is a typical annual cycle for CUET PG and DSE admission:

Stage	Approximate Timing
CUET PG notification and application opens	January
CUET PG application deadline	Late January – February
CUET PG exam (Economics paper: COQP10)	March (typically last week)
CUET PG result declaration	April – May
CSAS-PG (DU seat allocation) opens	June – July
DSE merit lists published	July
Admission and classes commence	July – August

Dates shift by a few weeks each year. Always verify current-cycle dates on:

• NTA official site: https://exams.nta.ac.in/CUET-PG/
• DU admission portal: https://admission.uod.ac.in/
• DSE department website: https://econdse.org/

Related exams

Students targeting economics postgraduate programmes in India often consider multiple options simultaneously. Key alternatives and complements:

• ISI Admission Test — Indian Statistical Institute’s own entrance for MS(QE) (Quantitative Economics), MStat, and other programmes. Conducted as an independent written test (pen and paper) by ISI, not via CUET PG.
• IIT JAM — Joint Admission Test for MSc programmes at IITs and IISc, including MSc Economics (offered at IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, and others)
• GRE — Required for DSE’s own admission of foreign nationals, and essential for PhD programmes abroad or at some Indian institutes

Other comparable economics postgraduate programmes often considered alongside DSE:

• MSc Economics at various institutions
• MA Economics at JNU and Hyderabad University (also via CUET PG)
• BSc Economics — for undergraduate reference

Sources Used

1. Delhi School of Economics, Handbook of Information: MA in Economics 2023, University of Delhi — https://econdse.org/wp-content/uploads/MA_Handbook-of-Information-2023.pdf
2. University of Delhi, Bulletin of Information: Two-Year Postgraduate Programmes, Academic Session 2026–27 — https://www.polscience.du.ac.in/userfiles/PDFs/2025/23122025_Bulletin-of-Information-Two-Year_PG_compressed.pdf
3. University of Delhi, PG Admissions Portal — https://admission.uod.ac.in/?PG-Admissions
4. National Testing Agency, CUET PG 2025 Result Press Release — https://nta.ac.in/Download/Notice/Notice_20250506192324.pdf
5. NTA / S3WAAS, Official Syllabus for Economics (COQP10) — https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s388a839f2f6f1427879fc33ee4acf4f66/uploads/2025/12/20251213312317592.pdf
6. Delhi School of Economics Department Notices — https://econdse.org/dept-notices/