UGC Releases Draft Rules for Foreign-Universities

UGC Releases Draft Rules for Foreign-Universities: The UGC on Thursday unveiled draft regulations, paving the way for foreign institutions to set up campuses in India for the first time. These universities will also be able to control the admission process, cost of attendance and repatriation of their cash.

UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said that foreign-universities and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will require permission from the UGC to set up their campuses in India.

He said that foreign-universities having campuses in the nation can offer full-time programs only in offline mode and not online or distance education.

He said that these institutions would not offer any study program that would jeopardize India’s national interest or the standards of higher education here and clarified that the initial approval would be for 10 years and would be renewed in the ninth year subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions.

The draft rules for ‘Establishment and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India’ were made public by the University Grants Commission (UGC), and the final rules will be issued by the end of the month after taking into account the comments of all. interested parties.

The commission has suggested keeping the fees “fair and transparent”, even as these universities are free to choose their own admission standards and pricing schedules.

“The new National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 has envisioned that top universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India. For this, a legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India,” Kumar said.

The legal structure that permits the entry of higher-ranked foreign universities will provide higher education an international component, enabling Indian students to earn foreign degrees at a reasonable price, and promote India as a desirable study destination worldwide, he added.

He stated that the Foreign Exchange Management Act will be followed when it comes to situations involving money and funding.

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