UGC Releases Revised Guidelines for Institutes to Get Deemed and Private Universities Status

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has released the revised guidelines for higher education institutions which are less than 20 years old. As per the revised guidelines, such Institutions will now be eligible to apply for Deemed and Private status. To get the status, Universities will have to create executive councils like central universities.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan released the revised UGC guidelines 2023 on Friday, Jun 2. The revised guidelines will replace the 2019 UGC guidelines. The revised guideline has instructed education institutions to get the deemed-to-be status by simplifying the eligibility criteria in order to establish more quality-focused deemed universities.

Dharmendra Pradhan stated that "The new simplified guidelines will encourage universities to focus on quality and excellence, strengthen the research ecosystem and have a long-term impact in transforming our higher education landscape. The norms will facilitate the creation of much more quality-focused deemed to be universities in an objective and transparent manner".

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The revised UGC guidelines have now replaced it with multi-disciplinarity, NAAC grading, NIRF ranking and NBA grading. Previously, as per the 2019 UGC guidelines, higher education institutions having "existence for not less than 20 years" were eligible for applying for the status.

The UGC revised guidelines stated that the multi-disciplinary institution having valid accreditation by NAAC with at least 3.01 CGPA for three consecutive cycles, NBA accreditation for two-thirds of eligible programmes for three consecutive cycles or in the top 50 of any specific category of NIRF for the last three years continuously are eligible to apply for the deemed status. However, a cluster of institutions run by more than one sponsoring body or society can also apply for deemed-to-be university status.

The revised UGC guidelines have also made it compulsory for deemed universities to register on the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC). The guidelines stated that"The institutions can offer twinning programmes, joint degree programmes, and dual degree programmes in accordance with the provisions stipulated in the regulations concerned,”.

The "Distinct Institution" category has also been introduced under the revised UGC guidelines. Distinct Institution means where an existing institution or an institution starting from the beginning with the focus on teaching and research in unique disciplines and/or addressing the strategic needs of the country or engaged in the preservation of Indian cultural heritage or preservation of the environment or dedicated to skill development or dedicated to sports or languages or any other discipline, so determined by the Expert Committee of Commission, will be exempted from eligibility criteria.