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UGC allows Admissions twice a Year
Context:
Indian universities and higher education institutions will now be permitted to offer admissions twice a year, following approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC).
More on News:
- The decision now provides “flexibility” to institutions if they want to “increase their student intake and offer new programmes in emerging areas.”
- The UGC’s decision now leaves it to the institutions to decide if they want to offer admissions in both cycles or just one, and this will depend on their infrastructure and faculty.
- Universities don’t need to adopt the new system.
Existing Process:
- Students at present are admitted once a year, in a single academic session that begins in July/August.
New System:
- The new system could enable universities to align their admission cycles with those of countries that admit students twice a year, where courses offered in different admission cycles may also differ.
- The UGC’s decision will allow universities to admit students in two cycles, in July/August and then in January/February, to undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes.
Reasons:
- In previous attempts, the biannual admission process for open and distance learning, and online programs allowed nearly half a million students to join their degree programs without waiting for a full academic year.
- This biannual admission system will benefit students who may have missed admissions in the July/August session due to health issues, delays in board exam results, or personal reasons.
- By opening admissions twice a year, the entire year of students could be saved, allowing them to pursue their higher education without delay.
- The biannual admission system will enhance Indian institutions’ international collaborations and student exchanges, as universities abroad follow a similar biannual admission system.
- Example: For instance, universities in the United States have ‘intakes’ in the fall (session that begins in August/September) and in the spring (session that begins in January).
- This biannual admission system will increase the ‘gross enrollment ratio’ (GER).
- GER is the ratio of students enrolled to the population of the age group eligible for higher education.
What lies ahead for institutions?
- The decision to offer biannual admissions rests with the university’s academic and executive councils.
- The universities need to assess which programmes to open up for biannual admissions.
- The availability of infrastructure and faculty will be crucial in deciding to admit students in two admission cycles.
- The universities need to upgrade infrastructure and faculty resources over time to ensure the quality of education is maintained.
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University Grant Commission (UGC):
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