UGC introduces new enrolment procedure for students’ admission in distance learning and online programmes

Under the new plan the students have to register on the UGC-Distance Education Bureau (DEB) web portal and create a unique DEB-ID using their Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)-ID

Tribune News Service

Updated At : 03:22 PM Aug 14, 2024 IST

This DEB-ID will be mandatory for all students enrolling in recognised ODL/online programmes, except for foreign learners, and will remain valid for their lifetime.

Aksheev Thakur

New Delhi, August 14

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has introduced a new enrolment procedure for students seeking admission to open and distance learning (ODL) and online programmes. Under the new plan the students have to register on the UGC-Distance Education Bureau (DEB) web portal and create a unique DEB-ID using their Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)-ID.

This DEB-ID will be mandatory for all students enrolling in recognised ODL/online programmes, except for foreign learners, and will remain valid for their lifetime. Higher Educational Institutes (HEI) have been directed to implement the new procedure.

“This change, effective from September 2024, is aimed at ensuring that students enrol only in approved HEIs’ to offer ODL and online programmes and enhancing transparency in the admissions process. Recent issues with unrecognised institutions admitting students highlighted the need for this standardised procedure. To safeguard student interests, UGC has developed a mechanism requiring students to register on the UGC-DEB web portal and create a unique DEB-ID using their ABC-ID. This DEB-ID will be mandatory for all students enrolling in recognised ODL/online programmes, except for foreign learners, and will remain valid for their lifetime. HEIs are urged to implement this new admission process efficiently and promote it to new learners to ensure successful adoption and operation,” UGC chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said.

UGC informed that the decision in this regard was taken on June 25 after it noticed that a few HEIs’ admitted students in unrecognised ODL/online programmes.

“All stakeholders are hereby informed that the creation of DEB-ID shall be required for every student (except foreign learners) willing to enrol in ODL/online programmes in recognised/entitled HEIs from academic year 2024-25, academic session beginning September, 2024 (revised from July-August, 2024) and onwards. DEB-ID once generated on UGC-DEB web portal will remain valid for lifelong ODL/online learning,” UGC said.