UGC guidelines: Confirm these 5 things before taking admission to an online, ODL course in India

If you are planning to enrol in an online or ODL course this admission session, take note of these instructions shared by the UGC before applying.

University Grants Commission (UGC), the apex regulatory body of higher education in India, has fixed November 15 as the deadline to apply for open and distance learning (ODL) and online courses for the October 2024 session.

UGC guidelines: Confirm these 5 things before taking admission to an online, ODL course (File)

Through a recent notification, the commission has shared some important guidelines for prospective candidates.

If you are planning to get enrolled into an online or ODL course this admission session, take note of the following points before applying:

1. Candidates should make sure that the institute is recognised by the commission and is allowed to offer the course. They can visit deb.ugc.ac.in to check the list.
2. It is mandatory for all candidates to register on the UGC-DEB portal with their academic bank of credit (ABC) ID. After registration, they will receive a unique identification number, which will be mandatory to enroll in ODL/online programmes offered by recognised higher education institutions (HEIs).
3. At present, the following institutions are banned from offering open, ODL courses: Suresh GyanVihar University, Rajasthan; Periyar University, Tamil Nadu; NALSAR University, Telangana.
4. HEIs are not allowed to offer the following courses online: Engineering, Medical, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and other Para-Medical disciplines, Pharmacy, Nursing, Dental, Architecture, Law, Agriculture, Horticulture, Hotel Management, CateringTechnology, Culinary Sciences, AircraftMaintenance, Visual Arts and Sports, Aviation. They are also not allowed to offer any other programme in open and ODL mode, which are not permitted by concerned statutory or regulatory bodies. These include courses like Yoga and Tourism. Further, MPhil and PhD programmes cannot be offered in open or ODL mode.
5. No higher education institution recognised by the UGC is allowed to offer online, open and distance learning courses through franchising arrangements. Students must ensure that the complete admission process is transparent and carried out through the headquarters of the HEI.

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To know more about UGC's instructions regarding open and distance learning courses, check the notification here.