Online degrees now found at 3 more univs under UGC

Delhi: Three more higher education institutions (HEIs) have been approved by the University Grants Commission to offer full-fledged online programs. Haryana's Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Maharashtra's University of Mumbai, and Punjab's Chandigarh University have joined the UGC's list of institutions authorized to offer full-fledged online programs without prior approval from the Council.

The Maharishi Markandeshwar deemed-to-be-university will be offering courses such as Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor of Commerce Honors (BCom Hons), and Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) online mode, as per the latest communication from UGC. The University of Mumbai is to offer an MA in sociology, and the Chandigarh University MA economics, MA English, and MSc mathematics programs. These programs will begin in the July 2022 session.

No franchise arrangement allows HEIs to offer online programs. In accordance with UGC, universities are responsible for ensuring that these courses abide by these provisions. These educational institutions are mandated to have complete ownership of these online programs. "The HEI shall abide by the conditions such as the number of seats, recognition period, etc. mentioned in the relevant Regulatory Authority letter," said a statement from UGC.

The HEIs can continue with the online programs till they comply with the NAAC or NIRF ranking requirements as per the UGC regulations. In case these standards aren't met, the institutions must discontinue the course, and also inform UGC of the situation.