8 Central universities respond to UGC regulation on academic collaboration with foreign institutes

Vibha Sharma

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New Delhi, September 19

While 26 Central Universities are eligible to enter into academic collaboration with eligible foreign higher education institutes (HEIs) to offer twinning, joint degree and dual degree programmes to students, so far eight have responded to the University Grants Commission regulations on academic collaboration with foreign institutions.

Currently, 230 Indian and 1256 foreign HEIs fulfil the eligibility criteria for the 2022 regulations. So far, 48 Indian universities have shared that they have either engaged in academic collaboration with foreign HEIs or in the advanced stage of finalising the collaboration agreements, according to UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar.

Response to the University Grants Commission (Academic Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Higher Educational Institutions to offer Twinning, Joint Degree and Dual Degree Programmes) Regulations, 2022, “has been overwhelming”, Kumar says.

“As on date, 13 Indian HEIs are offering twinning, eight joint degree and nine dual degree programmes,” he added, asserting that the commission is constantly in touch with universities to expedite the process of getting the regulations adopted in respective statutory bodies.

On why only these many institutions have responded or are offering the course when 230 HEIs fulfil the eligibility criteria, Kumar said, “It is a long process requiring careful planning.”

“Universities are required to enter into academic collaboration with eligible foreign HEIs as per the provisions of the UGC Regulations only. The universities have to go through a process of discussions in their statutory bodies and get them approved in academic councils. UGC is constantly in touch with universities to expedite the process of getting the regulation adopted in their statutory bodies.

“After this, there will be consultations between individual Indian universities and their counterparts abroad. Only after these consultations, an MoU will be signed. The twinning, joint and dual degree programmes will then start,” he said

Any Indian HEI accredited by NAAC or any other agency authorised in this behalf, with a minimum score of 3.01 on a 4-point scale at the time of application or which figures in the top 1000 of Times Higher Education or QS World University ranking or which figures in the top 100 in university category of NIRF, is eligible to collaborate with a foreign HEI figuring in top 1000 of Times Higher Education or QS World University ranking.

Indian HEI will have to enter into a written MoU or agreement with its partner foreign HEIs on provisions related to student obligations, fees and other financial arrangements, intellectual property rights, student’s attendance patterns, duration of stay for the study programme in both the HEIs, joint supervision arrangements, language of thesis and examinations, admission and evaluation process and graduation procedures.

Online, ODL mode and franchise arrangement are not allowed.

After the notification of the Regulations in May 2022, the UGC had written to all eligible universities requesting them to enter into academic collaboration with eligible foreign HEIs.

The eight Central Universities which responded to UGC regulations are Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University; Tezpur University; Jamia Millia Islamia; Central University of Haryana; Banaras Hindu University; Maulana Azad National Urdu University; Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Pondicherry University.

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences formally launched the 2022-2023 academic session of two new international dual degree programmes on September 12, as per UGC.