Don't let unapproved institutes take you for a ride

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has yet again identified 309 institutions offering courses in business management, hotel management, fashion technology, etc, without its approval. While one can access the list of institutions offering technical programmes without AICTE’s approval on its website, Business Standard gives you a low-down on what to keep in mind before applying to technical institutions

• Check if the institute you wish to apply to offers diploma or degree programme. Seeking admission in an institute which does not have AICTE approval to run the programmes may render your degree invalid 
   
• If the fee structure for these courses is on the higher side, students may have to take financial assistance from banks. In all probability, if the institutes are not approved by AICTE, education loan will not be sanctioned 
   
• Placement records of the institutes need to be checked. Often, institutes claim to offer placement assistance, but students might be left high and dry without any job after the end of the course 
   
• Students should check the placement track record, placement report available on the institute’s website before applying for any course. Also, talk to the alumni of respective institutes 
   
• Several institutes advertise their international link to lure students. Aspirants can check the credentials of an institute by writing to the international institute to find out if they are a partner indeed 
   
• Since education is on the concurrent list, both the centre and the states govern the institutes. There is always the fear of an institute being asked to shut down. Students should weigh all the pros and cons of the institute using the above factors. A very young institute that does not have the required approval is better to be avoided 
   
• This year alone, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has received several complaints against state and private universities and deemed-to-be universities 
   
• These complaints relate to non-refund of fee, violation of UGC regulations, mental harassment, running of illegal centres, violation of selection procedure and non-receipt of degrees, etc 
   
• In the last three years, complaints against state universities has gone up nearly five times. Complaints against private universities are over three times, and deemed-to-be universities over two times 
   
• Complaints against courses, run under the distance mode, are forwarded to the Distance Education Council, as it is the body that gives the approval