UGC Updated Rules for Recognizing Foreign Degrees: Excludes Online or Distance Education

College Tour Aug-18-2023

The guidelines mentioned in the draft won't affect "professional qualifications given by foreign educational institutions" in fields like Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Law, and Architecture.

The UGC has recently introduced preliminary draft guidelines aimed at the recognition of degrees issued by foreign educational institutions. Notably, these guidelines exclude degrees obtained through online or distance education modalities.

It's important to note that these regulations will not apply to "professional qualifications conferred by foreign educational institutions" within specialized disciplines such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Law, and Architecture, as expressly stated in the draft guidelines.

Furthermore, the UGC has also provided comprehensive guidelines addressing educational qualifications originating from schools operating under foreign boards, as well as degrees earned from offshore campuses.

These rules are introduced at a time when foreign universities are working on opening campuses in GIFT City, Gujarat. Meanwhile, Indian universities are teaming up with international ones to offer combined degrees.

The UGC says that for a foreign degree to be recognized and considered equal, the student must attend a school recognized by their home country. Also, the requirements to get into the program should be similar to those in India.

To make things easier for students who have qualifications from foreign institutions, the UGC will make a special website where they can apply for an "equivalence certificate." This certificate will show that their foreign qualification is equal to one from an Indian university or board at the same level. It will be useful when applying to Indian universities or for jobs.

A committee will be in charge of deciding if the entry requirements for a program in India and another country are similar. They will look at things like how long the program lasts, how many credits you need, and how the evaluations work. They'll also check different types of courses to see if they match up, like basic courses, main subject courses, optional courses, and practical courses. This way, they'll make sure that the qualifications from both places are quite similar in terms of what they cover and how they're taught.

The UGC has some rules, but they'll look at how many credits you need if the entry rules are a bit different. Programs done through a franchise won't be accepted, and if you're studying at a campus outside the country, it will only count if it meets the quality standards where it is and in your home country.

For schools that follow foreign boards and teach using a foreign style abroad, they'll only accept it if you studied in a regular way.

People can give their thoughts on these rules until September 16.