UGC approves new norms for deemed universities

Aiming to reduce "subjectivity" and "government interference" and focus more on quality, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has brought out a new set of regulatory norms for deemed universities.
According to the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be University) Regulations, 2016, which were approved by the Commission in a meeting last week, an institution will be eligible to become a deemed university if it has undergraduate and 5 post-graduate programmes with research in existence for 3 years.
Speaking to reporters here Higher Education Secretary V S Oberoi said the previous regulations had "subjective terms which could be interpreted in different ways".

UGC Chairman Ved Prakash was also present.
He said as per the new regulations, a deemed university should have "a minimum 40 per cent open space of the total built up area".
However, the administrative building should have a built up area of 1000 square metres, academic building and library 2000 square metres, lecture theares and laboratories to 15,000 square metres.

The floor area per student should be 10 square meters, as per the new regulations. A similar set of parameters has also been laid for off-campus centres where the floor area per student is the same.
Oberoi, who is also a member of the UGC, however, emphasised that the new regulations would be required to go through the scrutiny of HRD Ministry after which they would be notified.

He also said to ensure high quality, a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) 'A' grading is needed for 3 cycles. Each such cycle is of 5 years.
Or else, the institute should have higher NAAC or (National Board of Accreditation) NBA at the time of application and preceding cycle and is in top 20 institutes of the National Institute Ranking Framework at the time of application and preceding two years.
The institutes should also have the number of full-time teachers.
Several educational institutions have in the past sought changes in the existing deemed university regulations.