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UGC has warned that students enrolling in courses offered through unauthorised partnerships risk obtaining degrees that may not be recognised for higher education or employment.
The Commission has identified 32 fake universities across the country that are not authorised to award degrees. (Representative/Getty Images)
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has clarified that even if a university is recognised by the UGC, programmes offered through unapproved arrangements with third-party EdTech platforms do not automatically carry UGC recognition. It has also warned of regulatory action against both higher education institutions and EdTech companies found violating its norms.
The advisory comes alongside the UGC’s latest warning on fake universities. The Commission has identified 32 fake universities across the country that are not authorised to award degrees. Students and parents have been urged to verify the recognition status of universities and online or Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes before taking admission to avoid ending up with invalid qualifications.
Here Is A Step-by-Step Process to Check if a University Or Online Degree is Legal
Step 1: Visit the official UGC website – ugc.gov.in, to begin the verification process.
Step 2: Search for the institution in the list of recognised universities available on the UGC portal. If the university is not listed, students should verify its status before proceeding with admission.
Step 3: Visit the UGC’s state-wise list of fake universities and check whether the institution has been identified as an unauthorised university. Institutions on this list are not legally empowered to award degrees.
Step 4: If applying for an online or Open and Distance Learning (ODL) course, visit the UGC’s Distance Education Bureau (DEB) portal and verify that both the university and the specific programme have approval for the relevant academic session.
Step 5: For professional courses such as engineering, law, architecture, pharmacy, nursing, teacher education or medicine, students should also ensure that the programme has approval from the relevant statutory regulatory body wherever applicable.
Step 6: If admission is being facilitated through an EdTech company, verify all claims regarding UGC recognition and programme approval directly on the official UGC and UGC-DEB websites. Students should not rely solely on advertisements, social media promotions or marketing material.
Step 7: The UGC has advised students to complete all verification checks before submitting admission forms or paying tuition or registration fees, as recovering money from fraudulent institutions can be difficult.
According to the Commission, universities cannot outsource the delivery of recognised degree programmes to third-party EdTech platforms through such arrangements unless they comply with the applicable regulatory framework. The UGC has warned that students enrolling in programmes offered through unauthorised partnerships risk obtaining degrees that may not be recognised for higher education or employment. It has also cautioned universities against entering into such arrangements and said that violations could invite regulatory action.
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August 06, 2026, 14:40 IST
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