Education

UGC does not recognize online PhD programs, warns students against taking admission

October 28, 2022
Bharat Times

University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a warning notice to students, stating that it does not recognize online PhD programs offered by edtech companies in collaboration with international educational institutions. In the notice, the commission also said that for granting PhD degrees to students, all higher education institutions will have to comply with the UGC norms and their amendments.

In the latest notice, the UGC reiterated that it is mandatory for all higher education institutions to comply with the UGC rules and its amendments for awarding PhD degrees. “In order to maintain the standards for awarding PhD degrees, the UGC has announced the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of MPhil, PhD Degree) Regulations 2016,” the UGC said in a newspaper advertisement. All Indian Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) are required to issue PhD as per UGC Regulations and its amendments.

Students and the general public are now warned not to be duped by marketing for online PhD programs offered by edtech companies working with foreign educational institutions. UGC does not recognize such online PhD programs. Before enrolling, prospective students and general public are urged to verify the validity of PhD programs as per UGC Regulation 2016,” AICTE UGC said.

The UGC suggested changes in the existing rules for PhD programs in March 2022. The UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of MPhil, PhD Degree) 2022 suggested that 60 per cent of the total PhD seats would be filled by students who qualify for UGC. National Eligibility Test (NET) or Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), and the rest 40 per cent are to be filled through entrance examinations conducted by universities.

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