UGC Lists Precautions for Students Before Enrolling in Online Programmes

UGC recommends students confirm the status of the Higher Education Institution for ODL and online education before enrolling in online programs. Students can check the academic session-wise status of Higher Education Institutions on the official UGC website.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a notification in which it has listed precautions to be taken by students before enrolling in programmes offered under Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or Online Learning Mode.

These regulations lay down the minimum standards of instruction to grant degrees at UG, PG and Postgraduate Diploma levels. Students must confirm the regulation status of Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) for Online Distance Learning and Online Education on the UGC DEB website and check all the required details.

 Key Takeaways:

1. Verify the recognition status of the HEIs
2. Check the HEIs Put Under the No-Admission Category
3. Caution against admissions in prohibited programmes and franchising arrangements
4. Ensure all activities are within the territorial jurisdiction of the institution.
5. Prohibition of franchising arrangements for offering ODL and OL programmes
6. Important Learner Centre Provisions of the Regulations

As a student, what you need to do:

1. Verify the Recognition Status of the HEIs

• Students must check the recognition status of the institution on the UGC website before enrolling in any ODL or online programme.
• You can access the year-wise, academic session-wise status of HEIs on the UGC website at https://deb.ugc.ac.in/.
• Read all the notifications at the Notice Board before taking admission. Here is the link – https://www.ugc.gov.in/ugc_notices.aspx or https://deb.ugc.ac.in/notices/NewNotices.
• HEIs recognized/entitled to offer ODL or online courses must upload all the admission requirements, including application, affidavit, regulatory authority approval and additional information on their website.

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2. Check the HEIs Put Under the No-Admission Category

Mentioned below are the HEIs that the UGC has debarred, you need to be aware of:

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Maharashtra	Debarred/Withheld from offering ODL and online programmes for July-August, 2023 and January-February 2024 even as Entitled HEI or Category I HEI.
Sri Venkateshwara University, Andhra Pradesh	No admission in ODL and online programmes for July-August 2023 and January-February 2024 academic sessions.
Periyar University, Tamil Nadu	No admission in ODL and online programmes for July-August 2023 and January-February 2024 academic sessions.

UGC suggests that interested students should check the UGC/UGC-DEB website regularly for any further updates.

3. Be Aware of Taking Admissions in Prohibited Online Programmes 

Students should be aware that certain programmes, such as engineering, medicine, and law, are prohibited from being offered in ODL or online mode. The list of programmes that are prohibited under OLD and Online mode is given below –

1. Engineering
2. Medical
3. Physiotherapy
4. Aviation
5. Occupational therapy and other paramedical disciplines
6. Pharmacy
7. Nursing
8. Dental
9. Architecture
10. Law
11. Agriculture
12. Horticulture
13. Hotel Management
14. Catering Technology
15. Culinary Sciences
16. Visual Arts & Sports
17. Yoga, Tourism and Hospitality Management programmes at UG and PG levels.
18. Any other programme not permitted to be offered on ODL or online mode by any concerned statutory or regulatory body or council.

Please note that M.Phil and Ph.D. programmes in all disciplines through ODL and online mode are also prohibited.

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4. Ensure All Activities are Within the Territorial Jurisdiction of the Institution

Students should ensure that all activities related to distance learning or online programmes are conducted within the territorial jurisdiction of the institution. 

This includes admissions, counselling sessions, contact programmes, programme delivery, examinations, etc.

Type of University	Territorial Jurisdiction
Central University	Allotted to HEI under its Act.
State University	Allotted to HEI under its Act and in no case beyond the state’s territory of its location.
Private University (Under a State Act)	Allotted to HEI under its Act and in no case beyond the state’s territory of its location. Offer programmes only through HQ and recognised off-campus centres. Programmes not to be offered from the Learner Support Centre (LSC).
Deemed to be University	Within its HQ or from those off-campus centres approved by the Government of India.

You can access the policy on territorial jurisdiction under Annexure III of UGC (ODL and Online Programmes) Regulations 2020 at https://deb.ugc.ac.in/.

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5. Must Know About the Prohibition of Franchising Arrangements for Offering ODL and OL Programmes

A franchising arrangement in education is a business model that involves an educational institution (the franchisor) granting another institution (the franchisee) the right to offer its ODL and OL programmes under the franchisor’s name.

The prohibition of franchising arrangements for offering Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Online Learning (OL) programmes by the University Grants Commission (UGC) means that no university, whether central, state, private, or deemed to be university, can offer its ODL and OL programmes through a franchising arrangement under UGC (ODL and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020.

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Important Learner Centre Provisions of the Regulations

The UGC has issued several regulations to promote learner-centred education in HEIs. 

Some of the important learner centre provisions of these regulations that you must be aware of, as an online student, are:

1)  Learner’s mobility

If you have enrolled for an ODL or Online mode programme in an HEI recognized by the UGC under the above regulations, you are eligible for mobility from one mode of learning to another with the approval of statutory authorities of the HEI.

Suppose the programme is under the domain of regulatory authority/statutory council. In that case, the HEI should get permission from the concerned regulatory authority/statutory council for the mobility of learners.

2)  Admission taken during the recognition period

Admission taken in a recognized programme under ODL or Online mode during the recognition period stands recognized till the completion of the programme, even if the HEI does not have recognition for further years.

Please note that in such a case, the programme must be offered as per the UGC norms of territorial jurisdiction and confirmed with the UGC regulations and guidelines.

3)  Learner’s enrollment (for Open and Distance Learning Mode)

Any learner from any part of the country can enroll in any programme offered by an HEI as recognised by the Commission for offering programme under Open and Distance Learning mode.

The HEI must conduct all activities, such as admissions, contact programmes, examinations, etc., for the learner strictly within the territorial jurisdiction of the HEI as per the UGC regulations.

4)  Learner’s enrollment (Online Mode)

A learner from India or abroad can enroll in any programme offered by an HEI as recognised by the Commission for offering programme under Online mode.