M. Jagadesh Kumar says Foreign Universities Will Need UGC Approval to Establish Campuses in India; Know Details

Foreign Universities Need UGC Approval to Establish Campuses in India: According to the chairperson of the panel, M. Jagadesh Kumar, foreign universities will need the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) approval to open campuses in India, and the initial approval will be for 10 years.

Additionally, he emphasised that foreign colleges having campuses in the nation are only permitted to provide full-time programmes in the physical format; online or distance learning are not permitted.

As the UGC on Thursday released the draught rules for “Setting up and Operating of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India,” Kumar stated that these universities will be able to create their own admissions policy and fee structure.

He continued saying that international universities will also need to make sure the standard of instruction at their campuses in India is on par with that of their main campuses.

He stated that the Foreign Exchange Management Act will be followed when it comes to situations involving money and funding. 

According to Kumar, the final criteria would be released by the end of the month after taking stakeholder opinion into account.

Kumar further mentioned that, providing certain conditions are followed, the approval given to international universities will be extended in the ninth year.

What’s UGC NET

In Indian universities and colleges, the UGC NET or NTA-UGC-NET exam is used to determine applicants’ eligibility for the position of assistant professor and/or the Junior Research Fellowship award.

The National Testing Agency administers the exam on behalf of the University Grants Commission.

PSUs can use the results of the UGC-NET examination in the selection of candidates for executive positions in their institutions in the fields of science (R&D), management, corporate communications, human resources, and finance.

The UGC aims to increase the number of students who take the UGC-NET exam, which has been progressively declining in recent years.