The UGC Chief M Jagadesh Kumar today announced that all the foreign universities that open their branches in India will be allowed to conduct offline classes only.
In a press conference, Kumar clarified that no foreign university will be allowed to open up their campuses in India without UGC’s approval. “No foreign higher education can set up campuses without the approval by the UGC,” Kumar said. However, the approval granted to foreign varsities will be renewed in the ninth year, subject to them meeting of certain conditions.
They will also not be allowed to hold online classes. Foreign varsities can offer only full-time programmes in physical mode. While the varsities will have the freedom to come up with their own admission process, the universities “will have to ensure quality of education imparted at their Indian campuses is on par with their main campus”, he added.
In addition to this, the fee structure can also be decided by the universities, but the varsities should ensure that the fee structure is transparent and reasonable. Additionally, regulations also state that the varsities will be allowed to provide need-based scholarships.
To ensure that there is no chaos in funds transfer, Kumar ensured that all matters related to funding will be according to the Foreign Exchange Management Act. More details about the same will be notified by the end of the month.
