Mumbai: Dr. BMN College of Home Science in Mumbai has attained "Empowered Autonomous Status" conferred by the Governor of Maharashtra, Ramesh Bais, during the SNDT Women's University Foundation Day celebrations. This makes Dr. BMN College the first affiliated college under SNDT Women's University to achieve this status.
The Empowered Autonomous Status allows institutions to confer joint degrees with their parent universities and potentially transition into degree-awarding universities. Empowered autonomous colleges have autonomy in various operational aspects, including initiating PhD courses, setting course fee structures with university approval, restructuring courses, renaming courses per UGC guidelines, determining evaluation methods, and issuing results and mark sheets.
Recently, 6 additional affiliated colleges under Mumbai University have also received this status. These colleges include D. J. Sanghvi College of Engineering, Vileparle; R.A. Podar College, Matunga; Thakur College of Science and Commerce, Kandivali; Model College, Dombivli; NM Commerce and Economics College, Vileparle; and the College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan, Marine Lines.
According to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ravindra Kulkarni, the status is granted for ten years, starting from the 2024–25 academic year. He said, “The highest number of applications by autonomous colleges affiliated with the University of Mumbai for Chartered Autonomous College status is a welcome development; it reflects the progressive approach of these colleges in the field of education."
