On Friday, the University Grants Commission (UGC) requested that all universities amend their statutes to allow students to pursue two academic degrees in physical mode at the same time. The proposal allowing students to pursue two full-time degrees concurrently was accepted by the UGC in April. On Friday, the rules for it were announced. “All higher education institutions (HEIs) were asked to develop procedures through their governing bodies that would permit students to enrol in two academic programmes at once. In a letter to universities, the UGC stated: “Please ensure and expedite the implementation of the aforementioned scheme, if it hasn’t already, in the greater interest of the students.”
As long as the class times for one programme do not conflict with the class times of the second programme, students may now pursue two full-time academic programmes in physical mode, under UGC norms. The PhD programmes are exempt from it. “The goal of allowing a student to pursue two degrees concurrently stems from recognising, identifying, and fostering the unique capabilities of each student, with no hard separations between the arts and sciences, curricular and extracurricular activities, vocational and academic streams, etc. and enabling an individual to study one or more specialised areas of interest at a depth, as well as develop character, ethical, and constitutional values,” the statement reads.
The restrictions will be in force as of the UGC’s notification date, which is September 30, 2022, and students cannot make any backdated claims. “Only HEIs that are approved to operate such programmes by the UGC, Statutory Council, and Government of India may provide degree or diploma programmes in the ODL (Open and Distance Learning) and online modes. According to the statement, “Degree or diploma programmes under these guidelines shall be controlled by the Regulations announced by the UGC and also the corresponding statutory/professional councils, if applicable.”
