7 Major Changes Introduced by UGC You Need to Know About

The University Grants Commission is active and making regular changes to make the Indian Education system more active and effective for the learners. Also, the goal of UGC is to make the education system more flexible, accessible and aligned with global standards so that anyone can pursue education and make a great career out of it. In this blog, we will discuss the recent major changes and guidelines issued by UGC to make the education system better for learners. Also, the blog will mention the challenges that can become hurdles for the universities to implement those changes in the policies.

Guidelines Issued by the University Grants Commission

1. Bi-Annual Admissions
Traditionally, admissions were held once a year, i.e., during the July-August session. However, with the new UGC guidelines, there is an option for bi-annual admissions, under which students can enroll during the January-February session. This will be very helpful for the students who somehow miss the deadlines and don’t want to wait a year to apply for their graduation or post-graduation degree. It also helps the students to pursue their dreams without wasting a full academic year.
 
2. Discipline-Agnostic Admissions
Earlier, the students were restricted to choosing the fields they had chosen in their higher secondary education. For example, if the student has taken a science field in his/her 12th standard, he/she will be restricted from choosing the same field at graduation. However, with the new guidelines of UGC, a student can switch to his/her field, irrespective of what he/she has chosen in his/her previous qualification. This allows the student to explore multiple fields and gain diverse knowledge. Similarly, post-graduation programs offer the same flexibility. This change encourages interdisciplinary learning, helping students explore diverse interests and career paths. 
 
3. Flexible Attendance Policy
Completing the attendance requirement of 75% was very difficult for some learners who have other priorities as well. Well, with these new guidelines, UGC has broken the rigid 75% attendance requirement and given all the control to the universities and colleges to set bars using a hybrid model.
Under this system, some of the classes will be conducted online, and some of the classes will follow the traditional mode of education, where students need to attend regular classes. This hybrid approach is inspired by modern education systems worldwide, offering students greater convenience.  
 
4. Multiple Entry-Exit System
The major change introduced by the UGC is the multiple entry-exit system, under which the students are allowed to pause their studies and join their course or program later.
Under this system, the earned credits through the program will be stored in an Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) account. These credits can also be transferred to another university. However, these credits are valid for seven years; after seven years, the student has to restart their studies. This flexibility will be beneficial for students who need a break from their studies for professional or personal reasons.
 
5. Credit Distribution for Holistic Education
UGC now promotes a holistic education approach where students can earn credits from multiple sources, which will help them become more skilled. The primary source for earning a credit is completing the main subject, which will provide 50% of the credits. The remaining credits can be gained through internships, skill-based courses and other additional subjects. This will provide a good opportunity for the student to enhance their practical as well as theoretical knowledge.
 
6. Flexible Duration for Degrees
UGC has introduced two new programs for degree flexibility: 

• Accelerated Degree Program (ADP): Students can complete their degree faster than the standard duration. In such cases, the universities will allocate 10% of seats for such students. 
• Extended Degree Program (EDP): Students can take longer to complete their degrees without any time limit. This is ideal for those balancing studies with other commitments. 

In both cases, the course content remains the same, but the duration becomes customizable. 
 
7. Advanced PG Eligibility for Four-Year UG Programs
Students who complete a four-year undergraduate program with a 75% or higher score can now directly apply for advanced postgraduate programs like ME or M.Tech.  Also, with these marks, students can skip the requirement of a separate PG degree for NET or Ph.D. eligibility. This change will save time for high-performing students, enabling them to fast-track their academic and professional journeys. 
 

Challenges and Current Implementation 

While these changes are promising, their implementation in regular education systems is still limited. However, online education platforms have already adopted many of these practices, providing students with flexible and holistic learning experiences.
Despite the focus of the UGC's future-oriented reforms, their incorporation can be difficult because of some rigid policies in universities. The hurdles in the corporation of these guidelines can be:

1. Resistance from Traditional Institutions
Resistance from faculty, administration, and policymakers may prevail when trying to shift towards more dynamic models such as having biannual admissions or a hybrid attendance system - because quite a few universities and colleges are still traditional in nature.
 
2. Inadequate Infrastructure

• Technological gaps: The lack of proper technological infrastructure in some areas can become a hurdle for universities in enabling hybrid or online education systems. Rural institutions, especially, can face this problem of implementing the modern method of education.
• Resource limitations: Smaller colleges may particularly feel the burden in managing logistics like Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) whereby the college has to store the credits, transfer them and then offload them.

 
3. Lack of Awareness and Training
Authorities can be uneducated on operational policies, their advantages and the conditions they must follow under hybrid or even wholly online. Quality of education in a hybrid method requires both online teaching strategies and multidisciplinary approaches, which teachers must appreciate and comprehend.
 
4. Integration of Academic Credit Systems
The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) system can be complicated for some universities as it requires proper arrangements to secure those credits for years. Evaluation in credit transfers across universities and grading systems and curriculum can be confusing and unclear.
 
5. Balancing Flexibility with Accountability
Flexible extensions for degrees may be a disadvantage because students can lose a sense of responsibility, which leads to a fall in the level of academic standards. Universities must ensure that there are measures to ensure that increased leisure does not reduce the quality of work and policies.
 
6. Monitoring and Evaluation
Creating systems to track and assess how these reforms are implemented will be critical. Without such routines, one is unlikely to notice lacks and gaps that require further attention.

Conclusion 

These new guidelines and reforms of UGC bring significant growth to the Indian Education System. With excellent changes like flexible admissions & attendance, interdisciplinary learning opportunities and personalized degree duration, the students get way more flexibility to enhance their learning capacity. These changes provide a lot of changes for those who are looking to complete their degrees or undertake any program to increase their professional ability. Also, this encourages students to align their goals with international standards more easily.
If you want to pursue any degree, you must not wait for the future; start your learning journey now and open the gate to many opportunities with these new UGC guidelines. Platforms like Collegesathi can help you find the best university or colleges to pursue your dream degree at low cost and high quality!
 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the new guidelines, and how do they enable me to change my field of study?
Yes, the UGC now permits admissions in different disciplines, irrespective of pre-chosen discipline. This means one can change the stream studied at the higher secondary level. For example, a science student is now free to pursue a program in humanities or commerce in the undergraduate or postgraduate levels.
 
2. What is the new Flexible timetable attendance policy?
As per the new policies that have been set up, the strict 75 percent attendance requirement is no longer in effect. Universities and colleges can now implement hybrid attendance systems in which students attend both online and physical classes thus increasing ease and flexibility to the students.
 
3. What is the link between the marks of the UG programs and the eligibility for postgraduate studies?
Suppose a student graduates with a degree after completing a four-year undergraduate program and has a minimum score of 75%. In that case, they can seek admission in advanced postgraduate programs such as ME or M.Tech. They can also avoid having to obtain a separate PG degree to be eligible for NET or Ph.D.
 
4. How can I find universities that have implemented the new UGC guidelines?
Collegesathi and other platforms assist students in locating colleges and universities that have implemented the UGC's new regulations.
 
5. Do these changes apply to every university in India?
Yes, the UGC guidelines have to be implemented by all universities in India, but this may differ in terms of timing and range depending on what each institution can afford in terms of resources and available policies.