Education Ministry appoints Vineet Joshi as interim UGC chairperson

Following the retirement of Professor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar on April 7, the Ministry of Education has appointed Vineet Joshi as the acting Chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Joshi will remain in this additional role as Secretary in the Department of Higher Education until a permanent appointment is made or until further notice.

A BTech in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, Joshi is an alumnus of the institute. IIT Kanpur is renowned for being one of India's top engineering institutions, and



globally, it stands at the 263rd position as per the QS World University Rankings 2025. At a national level, the institute stood at the fifth position overall and fourth in the category of engineering in the NIRF 2024.

He pursued his MBA in International Business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi, and graduated as a gold medallist. He also completed a PhD in Quality Management from the same institution. IIFT achieved international recognition with its 63rd ranking in QS International Trade Rankings 2025 for its MBA and Master's programmes.