UGC drafts guidelines for the grant of UG and PG degrees, biannual admissions and multiple entry-exit among suggestions

A list of changes has been suggested by the UGC and the commission has invited comments/ feedback from the public to obtain a view from a larger perspective.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) issued draft guidelines on the minimum standards of instruction for the grant of undergraduate degree and postgraduate degrees.

UGC has also shared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the awarding of accelerated and extended degrees by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

A list of changes has been suggested by the UGC and the commission has invited comments/ feedback from the public domain to obtain a view from a larger perspective. Suggestions can be submitted on or before December 23, 2024.

The following are some of the amendments suggested by UGC:

• HEIs prepared to handle biannual admissions may admit students twice a year, in July/August and January/February.
• The student intake capacity shall be determined by the university/institution in advance through its statutory bodies based on the academic and physical facilities available, the student-teacher ratio, the teaching-non-teaching ratio in accordance with the UGC guidelines/norms, and other statutory bodies concerned.
• Every HEI shall lay down the norms concerning classrooms, laboratories, library, sports and health facilities, hostel accommodation, canteen/ cafeteria, and other facilities. While prescribing the norms for such facilities as a condition for affiliation, the university shall keep in view the guidelines/norms issued by the UGC and other statutory bodies concerned.
• Integration of higher education, vocational education, training & skilling, and internship shall be made as part of the UG and PG curricular structure, in accordance with the Curriculum and Credit Frameworks for UG, PG, and Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes, notified by the UGC.
• HEIs shall provide multiple entry and exit options in the academic programmes.
• Mobility of a student from vocational education to general education or vice-versa, shall be as per the procedure prescribed in the relevant guidelines issued by the regulatory bodies concerned.

Apart from these, the commission has also suggested amendments with regard to eligibility criteria for admission (Undergraduate / Postgraduate), accumulation of credits, attendance requirement, examinations & evaluation, integration of skill courses and apprenticeships, certification, and consequence of failure to comply with the regulations.

UGC has also shared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the awarding of accelerated and extended degrees by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). As per the SOP, HEIs can do the following:

• May earmark up to 10% of sanctioned intake for the Accelerated degree programme (ADP).
• May constitute a committee to scrutinize applications received at the end of the first or the second semester under the Extended Degree Programme (EDP) and ADP and select students accordingly.
• The Committee constituted by the HEI will evaluate the credit-completing potential of a student based on their performance in the first or the second semester and give its recommendations.
• The Committee shall recommend a reduction or an increase in the number of courses and total credits per semester, as per the duration opted by the students.
• Under the ADP and EDP, the transcripts should record only the courses the students take in a semester.

Detailed draft here