The Central Government on Friday relaxed the regulations for the application process of "deemed" universities, with the Ministry of education, officially announcing the notification of the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023, six months after the release of the draft rules for stakeholder feedback.

Under the new guidelines, "deemed" universities must meet specific criteria to qualify. They must maintain a minimum CGPA of 3.01 for three consecutive cycles or achieve accreditation from the National Board of Accreditation for two-thirds of eligible programs. Additionally, they must rank within the top 50 in a specific category or top 100 overall in the NIRF rankings for three consecutive years.

This revision marks a relaxation from the previous norms introduced in 2019, which required institutes to maintain a minimum NAAC score of 3.26 CGPA. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while announcing the revised guidelines, expressed that these "simplified" norms will enable the establishment of high-quality deemed-to-be universities. Pradhan further stated, "The new simplified guidelines will incentivize universities to prioritize quality and excellence, bolster the research ecosystem, and have a lasting impact on transforming our higher education landscape."

As per the reports, universities seeking "deemed" status will be required to maintain a teacher-student ratio of 1:20. Additionally, they must have minimum combined faculty strength of 150 teachers and a minimum combined student strength of 3000 enrolled in regular classroom mode. Of the total student strength, at least one-fifth should consist of post-graduate or research scholars.

According to UGC Chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar, the newly introduced guidelines align with the National Education Policy 2020 and are expected to foster the development of improved higher education institutions. In response to requests from universities seeking the status, there has been a proposal to eliminate the term "deemed-to-be." A parliamentary panel, led by BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, recommended in July 2022 that this demand be addressed by the Ministry and the UGC.

However, Kumar clarified that due to the inclusion of the term "deemed-to-be" in the UGC Act, 1956; its immediate removal is not feasible. He explained, "The term will be eliminated once the Higher Education Commission of India is established through an act of Parliament." In order to remove the term, the higher education body will need to make amendments to Clause 23 of the UGC Act, 1956.

Image source: PIB