UGC extends registration deadline to enrol for online, ODL courses 

The decision made at the University Grants Commission (UGC) 592nd meeting on July 23, 2025, is based on recommendations from the 24th Distance Education Bureau Working Group meeting, which took place on April 22, 2025. This decision imposes a ban on offering certain specialisations, including Psychology, Microbiology, Food and Nutrition Science, Biotechnology, Clinical Nutrition, and Dietetics.

According to the directive, colleges and universities will not be permitted to offer these programs in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or online mode starting from the 2025-26 academic session. Institutions that have already received recognition to run these programs will have that recognition withdrawn by the UGC.

In cases where a program includes multiple specialisations—such as a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in subjects like English, Hindi, Punjabi, Economics, History, Mathematics, Public Administration, Philosophy, Political Science, Statistics, Human Rights and Duties, Sanskrit, Psychology, Geography, Sociology, or Women’s Studies—only the healthcare-related specialisation will be withdrawn.

The UGC has instructed HEIs not to admit students into these programmes starting from the July-August 2025 session. All stakeholders have been urged to strictly adhere to this decision.

The higher education regulator has recently issued a public advisory warning students and higher education institutions (HEIs) about engaging in unrecognised collaborations with foreign educational providers. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has emphasised that any degree or diploma obtained through these arrangements will be deemed invalid in India and will not be recognised by the Commission.