UGC eases application process norms for 'deemed' universities

The Centre on Friday eased the norms for the application process of “deemed” universities, with the ministry of education notifying the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023, six months after releasing the draft rules for stakeholder feedback.

As per the new rules, to qualify for deemed university status, one of the criterias is that universities need to have a minimum of 3.01 CGPA for three consecutive cycles under the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. Or, accreditation under the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) for two-thirds of its eligible programmes for three consecutive cycles. Alternately, institutes ranking in the top 50 of any specific category of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for the last three years continuously, or ranking in the top 100 of overall NIRF rankings for the last three years continuously will also qualify.

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This is an easing of the earlier revision in norms in 2019 when institutes needed to have a NAAC score of at least 3.26 CGPA. Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while notifying the norms, said that the “simplified” guidelines will facilitate the creation of quality deemed-to-be universities. “The new simplified guidelines will encourage universities to focus on quality & excellence, strengthen the research ecosystem and have a long-term impact in transforming our higher education landscape,” Pradhan said.

Universities will also need to have a teacher-student ratio of 1:20 with a minimum combined faculty strength of not less than 150 teachers and a minimum combined student strength of 3000 on rolls under the regular classroom mode. Of these, not less than one-fifth must be post-graduate or research scholars. Institutes will also need to have an administrative area, library, lecture halls, labs, hostels, health care, common facilities, and recreational facilities.

UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said that the new guidelines are in tune with the National Education Policy 2020, and that these regulations will encourage the establishment of better higher education institutions.

There has been a demand from universities applying for the status to drop the term “deemed-to-be” and a Parliamentary panel headed by BJP MP Vinay Sahasrebuddhe had, in July 2022, suggested that demand be taken up by the ministry and the UGC.

Kumar, however, said that since the term is part of the UGC Act, 1956, it cannot be removed immediately. “It will be removed once the Higher Education Commission of India is established through an act of Parliament,” Kumar said. To drop the term, the higher education body will have to amend Clause 23 of the UGC Act, 1956.

Under the new norms, deemed universities can start off-shore campuses with the prior approval of the Central Government as per the provisions of the Act. The new norms have, for the first time, introduced penal provisions for violations. As per the graded penalty system, a warning through public notice, barring from any expansion, closure of programmes or departments or off-campus will be done for violation of rules. In case of repeated violations, the deemed university status could be withdrawn.