UGC open to granting approval to unspecified degrees if justified

Universities may now approach the university grants commission (UGC), seeking its approval for grant of degree which has not been specified by the higher education regulator.

The commission is open to examine such proposals and give its nod if a satisfactory justification for the award of a new degree is given by the varsity concerned.

The commission has opened up to consider such requests in view of it's an observation that some of the universities are awarding unspecified degrees ignoring its regulations. leading to litigations and various other problems that their students face after the completion of such programmes.

“If a university wishes to award a degree other than the one specified by the UGC, it shall approach the UGC for its approval six months prior to starting the degree programme with full justification on the course to be started,” the UGC said in a recent communication to all university vice-chancellors.

The UGC Act, 1956 provides that no institution other than a university established under a central, state/provincial Act, an institution declared as deemed-to-be-university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, and an institution, especially empowered by an Act of Parliament, can award degrees.

For the purpose of the UGC provisions, a degree means any such degree specified by the commission in gazette notification by the commission with the approval of the central government.

Yet, the higher education regulator secretary Rajnish Singh noted his letter to the vice-chancellors, “it has been observed that some universities/institutions are awarding unspecified degrees leading to litigations and different problems for the students conferred with such degrees”.

The UGC had notified discipline-wise nomenclatures of degrees in two separate notifications in 2014-15. It is mandatory for all universities to award only those degrees specified by the higher education regulator in its list.