Under NEP Reforms, New UGC Rules To Allow ‘Accelerated, Extended’ Undergraduate Degrees – News18

Last Updated:December 05, 2024, 22:48 IST

The new draft regulations also state that students can pursue any discipline at the UG or PG level, irrespective of the discipline they chose in Class XII but they must clear required entrance exams

The duration of undergraduate degrees could now be “accelerated” as well as “extended” depending on the choice made by the student, especially in case of accelerated if students are able to complete the degree in a shorter duration, as per new rules prescribed by the University Grants Commission.

According to the draft (Minimum Standards of Instructions in the Award of UG and PG Degrees) Regulations, 2024, released by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Thursday, students will be able to pursue any discipline at the undergraduate (UG) or postgraduate (PG) level irrespective of the discipline they chose in Class XII. But, they must clear the relevant entrance test for higher studies in that particular field, the draft states.

The draft rules further facilitate bi-annual admissions if higher education institutions are prepared to introduce this system, allowing students to enroll twice a year in July-August and January-February.

Back in June, the UGC had approved bi-annual admissions, which means two academic sessions in a year, for those providing courses in the physical mode. The new regulations are part of reforms in higher education in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Here are some salient features of the new draft rules:

• A student must earn a minimum of 50 per cent of the total credits in a discipline to earn a UG degree with a major. For the remaining 50 per cent credits, the student may choose skill courses, apprenticeships and multidisciplinary subjects.
• The duration of a UG degree will either be three or four years, and a PG degree shall normally be either one year or two years. However, the duration of a UG degree can now be shorter or longer as students can pick from accelerated degree programme (ADP) and extended degree programme (EDP).
• Higher education institutions (HEI) can earmark up to 10 per cent of the sanctioned intake for ADP while there is no cap for EDP. The draft rules said a committee constituted by the HEI will evaluate the credit-completing potential of a student based on their performance in the first or the second semester and give its recommendations.
• The draft rules state that students will have the option to choose ADP or EDP either at the end of the first semester or the second semester, but not beyond that. In both, they will follow the same curriculum content and total credits prescribed for the programme for a standard duration. The change is only in duration of the programme. “The number of courses to be completed in each semester will be more or less according to the duration opted by the students,” the draft said.
• The degree programmes will have a self-contained note stating that academic requirements in a standard duration have been completed in a shortened or extended duration. For example, students completing a four-year UG degree (Honours/Honours with Research) in relevant subjects (level 6, like BSc Hons in physics, biology, or mathematics) and students completing a four-year UG degree (level 6, like BE, BTech, etc) will be eligible for the two-year/four-semester PG programme (level 7, like ME, MTech etc).

Prof M Jagadesh Kumar, chairperson, UGC, said the new draft guidelines aim to transform higher education in India by introducing greater flexibility, removal of disciplinary rigidity, inclusivity, and multidisciplinary learning opportunities for students.

“The regulations incorporate provisions for multiple entry and exit, recognition of prior learning, and the flexibility to pursue two UG/PG programmes simultaneously. We have also decoupled eligibility for UG and PG admissions from the rigid discipline-specific requirements of school education,” he said.

Additionally, students will now have the option to earn 50 per cent of their credits in their major discipline, while the remaining credits can be allocated to skill development, apprenticeships, or multidisciplinary subjects, fostering holistic development.

“With these reforms, we ensure that Indian higher education evolves to meet global standards while staying rooted in inclusivity and adaptability to diverse learner needs,” he added.

The draft rules state that irrespective of the disciplines taken by a student in Class XII or in UG, a student is eligible for admission in any UG or PG programme if the student qualifies the national-level or university-level entrance examination. They also allow HEIs to decide on minimum attendance requirements for different programmes with the approval of their statutory bodies.