UGC proposes major changes for UG and PG courses, admissions, exams

In a significant move towards updating the higher education system in India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has prepared a draft guideline for 'Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of Graduate Degrees and Postgraduate Degree Regulations, 2024'. The guidelines aim to ease the eligibility criteria and minimum credit requirements for students in UG, PG courses for biennial admission and dual degree programmes. It also proposes to promote flexibility and multidisciplinary learning.

The reforms include some major provisions that will facilitate multiple entry and exit points, biannual admissions, and discipline-agnostic course eligibility, among other key initiatives.

UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said, “We have also decoupled eligibility for UG and PG admissions from the rigid discipline-specific requirements of school education. Under these regulations, students can to choose study in any programme irrespective of their past disciplinary qualification if they demonstrate their competency by clearing the relevant entrance examinations. Recognising the diverse learning modes promoted by NEP 2020, these regulations provide autonomy to HEIs to determine student attendance requirements, ensuring they align with evolving academic needs.”

Main provisions of UGC's draft guidelines explained: 

. Biannual



Admissions: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that opt ​​for biannual admissions may admit students twice a year, in July/August and January/February.

. Multiple entry and exit options: The draft regulation provides for multiple entry and exit options, continuous formative assessment, recognition of prior learning (RPL), and the possibility for students to pursue two UG or PG programmes simultaneously.

. Admission relaxation: Students can take admission in any UG or PG programme regardless of their prior subject in Class 12 or UG, as long as they pass the respective national or university level entrance exam.

. Attendance relaxation: Higher education institutions will determine the minimum attendance requirement for students in various programmes, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, subject to approval by their statutory bodies.

. Credit Requirement for UG Degree: To obtain a bachelor's degree in a specific subject, students must complete at least 50% of the total credits in that subject. The remaining credits can be earned through skill courses, apprenticeships or multi-disciplinary subjects.

. Eligibility for PG Courses: Students completing four-year graduate degree (BSc Honours in Physics, BTech, etc) will be eligible for two-year or four semester PG courses (MTech, MSc).