The rules governing tie-ups between Indian and foreign higher educational institutions have been simplified by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to expand the net of academic collaborations. On Tuesday, UGC chairperson Prof M Jagadesh Kumar announced that the commission has approved an amended set of regulations, which will soon be notified. The Indian Express explains the changes in the wake of the amendments. Which regulations have been amended? The UGC sets minimum standards for many areas of higher education ranging from academic standards to quality of training imparted to teachers. In this case, the UGC had in 2012 issued regulations on tie-ups that Indian and foreign universities can forge. The regulations were further amended in 2016 after it emerged that academic collaborations were not picking up despite provisions being in place. But the 2016 amendment did not help much either, necessitating the latest set of changes. The University Grants Commission (Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Higher Education Institutions to offer Joint Degree, Dual Degree, and Twinning Programmes) Regulations, 2022 will govern twinning programmes, joint degree, and dual degree programmes to be offered jointly by Indian and foreign universities. What do the regulations say on twinning programmes? In the twinning programme, students will be enrolled in a degree programme at an Indian institute and they will get an opportunity to undergo an exchange programme with the partner foreign university. Students will have to complete up to 30 per cent of the course's credits at the foreign institution by means of an exchange programme. The same will be applicable to foreign students enrolling in a similar programme. The degree at the end of the course will be provided by the Indian institution. How will the dual-degrees be structured? The dual-degrees, introduced for the first time, will enable a student to earn two degrees for a course of the same discipline, and at the same level. Students will have to complete at least 30 per cent of their course credit at the foreign institution. For example, a student enrolled in a BA English programme in an Indian university can pursue a part of her course at a foreign institution. At the end of the course, the student will be awarded two degrees, separately and simultaneously, by the Indian and foreign institutions. This shall not, in any way, be construed as two degree programmes in separate disciplines or subject areas at two different levels, the UGC has clarified. This means a dual degree in BA English and BSc Physics, or BSc Maths and MSc Biology will not be allowed under this arrangement. How will joint degree programmes be different from dual degrees? Unlike dual degree, in the case of joint degree programmes, there will be one degree certificate, bearing the names of both the institutions. The curriculum will be jointly designed by the collaborating institutions like in the case of dual degrees. Students from India will be required to complete at least 30 per cent of their course credit at the foreign institution. In the case of joint doctoral programmes, the students will have a supervisor at both the participating institutes and will have to spend at least a semester at the collaborating institutes. The student will submit a single thesis adhering to a framework jointly devised by the participating institutions. Can Indian and foreign institutes collaborate to offer such joint programmes over online mode? No, the regulations allow only full time courses through conventional, offline mode. How can institutes partner with each other and what will be the eligibility criteria? Any Indian higher educational institution accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a minimum score of 3.01 on a 4-point scale or featuring in the top 1,000 of Times Higher Education (THE) or QS World University Rankings will be eligible to participate. For Indian institutes, being in the top 100 list of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is also an acceptable criterion. Foreign institutes willing to enter a partnership must rank in the top 1,000 in either of the two world university rankings. The Indian institutions willing to enter into such collaborative arrangements will also have to open office for international affairs. How have the rules been simplified? The previous set of regulations gave the UGC extensive powers to monitor the entire process of collaboration, ranging from examining MoUs between institutes to issuing letters of approvals or rejections. The proposed amendments obviates the need for institutes to seek the UGC's nod. However, in the case of professional programmes in disciplines such as engineering, medicine and law, the approval of statutory councils or bodies like the AICTE will still be needed. The Indian institutes looking to offer such programmes will need the clearances of their in-house academic bodies such as board of governors, executive councils etc. The second step for them would be to sign MoUs with the partner foreign institutes. Earlier, such MoUs required the approval of the UGC. What will be the admission criteria and fees for the programmes offered collaboratively? For twinning, dual degree and joint degree programmes, the fee for the entire course duration will be made public during the time of the admission. For twinning and joint degree programmes, the students will have to meet the admission requirements of both Indian and foreign higher educational institutions but may not have to apply separately to both the partner institutes. For dual degrees, the students will have to apply and be admitted separately to both institutions. The UGC has not yet released the fee structure of any of the courses. However, the Commission has said that the fee structure would be reasonable to make quality higher education accessible and affordable to all sections of society. Newsletter | Click to get the day's best explainers in your inbox
