UGC grants category-I graded autonomy to Kerala’s MG University

KOTTAYAM: Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu on Saturday said that Mahatma Gandhi University has been granted Category-I Graded Autonomy, the highest level of autonomy for universities.

In a Facebook post, Bindu stated that the University Grants Commission made this decision during its 588th meeting on March 13, 2025, in recognition of the university’s excellence in global rankings and its A++ accreditation in the NAAC re-accreditation.

MGU, which achieved a CGPA of 3.61 in the fourth cycle of NAAC re-accreditation, has consistently ranked in the 400-500 band in the Times Higher Education rankings for three consecutive years, she noted.

"With this recognition, MG University becomes the first institution in Kerala to receive Category-I Graded Autonomy, positioning itself among the top universities in the country," her post claimed.

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This autonomy will enable the university to design and implement innovative curricula and programmes, establish study centres and constituent colleges, forge academic linkages, and set up science parks, in accordance with Clause 4 of the Graded Autonomy Regulations, 2018, Bindu said.

Additionally, a key benefit of this status is that the university can now offer distance education programmes without requiring UGC approval, she added. MGU, a state-owned public university headquartered in Kottayam, is one of Kerala’s premier higher education institutions.