UGC tightens rules for deemed-to-be varsities

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has changed the rules and eligibility criteria to grant deemed-to-be university status to higher education institutes in India.

In its latest circular, the UGC said the move would “ensure quality education”. The main highlight of the circular is that institutes younger than 20 years are not eligible for the deemed-to-be status.

The UGC has tightened the norms for the status. Besides 20 years of existence, the UGC has also asked the institutes to submit a detailed project report (DPR) containing 15 years’ strategic vision plans and five-year rolling implementation plan to attain the deemed-to-be status.

“The institute should have at least 3.26 CGPA (a grade pointing system) for three consecutive cycles (for technical institutes two-third of eligible technical programmes) accredited by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA),” the circular reads.

The institute should also be among top 50 in any specific category or among top 100 in the overall ranking of the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF).

“Additionally, the teacher-student ratio shall not be less than 1:20 with a faculty strength of not less than 100 teachers and a minimum of 2,000 students on its rolls. The institute should also have at least five PG departments in existence for at least three years with a research program,” states the circular.

Among other requirements, institutions have to set up a selection committee to make sure the recommendations are followed without fail.

“Once the status is granted, the UGC will monitor the academic outcomes of the institutes on annual basis. The outcome of graduate students should not be lesser than 50% and the teacher-student ration should not drop below 1:20. After attaining the status, institutes will have to participate in NIRF ranking, provide a choice-based credit system (CBCS) to students,” states the circular.