Distance Degree of Standalone Institutions valid till Academic Session 2017-18: New UGC ODL Regulations

The University Grants Commission has come up with amended Open and Distance Learning Regulations making accreditation mandatory for universities to offer a degree programme in distance mode. Deemed Universities have also been allowed to offer programmes under the ODL mode as per the ‘Deemed to be a University Regulations’.

The programmes offered by standalone institutions will be valid until academic session 2017-18, thereafter they need to either convert themselves into a university or become part of a University to run ODL programmes.

As per the new Regulations, the Higher Educational Institution will be able to offer ODL courses with a valid accreditation from National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a minimum cumulative grade of 3.26 on a 4 point scale and has completed five years of existence.

The Institutions falling in the above category but currently not accredited with the NAAC shall apply for will have to apply for accreditation within three months from the date of issue of the Regulation.

“Provided further that the higher education institutions which are Deemed to be Universities and were given permission by the University Grants Commission to offer the programme in open and distance learning mode for the academic year 2017-18 shall be permitted to impart Open and Distance Learning education till the academic session 2019-20 to enable them to reach the specified quality National Assessment and Accreditation Council benchmark subject to University Grants Commission specifically allowing the Deemed to be University to conduct Open and Distance Learning courses for specific programmes and after the off-campus centers, study centers are individually inspected and found adequate by the University Grants Commission and the approval will be course specific,” reads the ODL Regulations 2018.

The Certificates or Diplomas or Post Graduate Diplomas awarded by the Standalone Institutions which also have been approved by the Commission based on the policies of the then Distance Education Council of the Indira Gandhi National Open University for running Open and Distance Learning programmes till the academic year 2016-17 shall remain valid programmes till the academic session 2017-18 and thereafter they shall be free to get converted their Standalone Institution status to University or constituent unit or institute of an existing university for the purpose of these Open and Distance Learning regulations, failing which, the Commission shall not accord any approval to the Open and Distance Learning programmes of Standalone Institutions.