UGC recommends 20 acre minimum land for setting up universities, sharing of common spaces

NEW DELHI: A committee under the University Grants Commission (UGC) has recommended a minimum land requirement of 20 acres for establishing universities. Open universities and off-campuses should be built on at least a five-acre land. The commission said it will consider proposals to set up institutions not conforming to the requirements on a case-to-case basis.

“Even while higher educational institutions typically occupy a sizable amount of land, very little of that area is actually used. The limited availability of land combined with the high minimum land requirement standard is a significant barrier to any region's progress in education. The minimum land requirement ought to be set in a way that promotes the development of further universities. It is necessary to rationalize the amount of land needed to set up higher education institutions by taking into account the rise in GER, the expansion of cities, the diversity of topography, and the growth of higher education institutions,” the committee found.

Taking this into consideration, UGC made the decision to re-evaluate and rationalize the land requirement for the establishment of new higher education institutions. The committee's goals included recommending standards and guidelines for figuring out the required amount of land, taking into account how institutions now use their space, the availability of land, and the advancements in technology making it possible to learn at any time and from any location.

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Factors for revisiting land requirements

The committee considered the following factors for rationalizing land requirement:

Multidisciplinary Education: As NEP 2020 promotes multidisciplinary education, the requirements of infrastructure in every institution to offer programmes require a revisit. UGC Guidelines for Transforming Higher Education Institutions into Multidisciplinary Institutions provide for various approaches, such as collaboration between institutions and merger of institutions to help institutions offer multidisciplinary institutions. These policies underline that land requirements need not be based on the number of programmes offered.

Availability of Land: With the ever-increasing demand for higher education, more higher education institutions are required in cities and underserved or unserved areas such as hilly areas. However, population growth and difficult terrain of hills often become a limiting factor in establishing institutions. The committee considered the land requirement against the backdrop of the growth of HEIs, the cost of land, and the different landscapes in the country.

Online Education: The NEP encourages all modes of learning. Online being an important mode of learning, its flexibility stands out as one of the major advantages for students. With UGC (Establishment and Operationalization of Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) Scheme in Higher Education) Regulations, extending the freedom to earn up to 50% of credits from institutions other than the host institution, students can study at their own pace, on their own time, and from virtually anywhere in the world. This further reduces the land and other physical infrastructure requirement for higher education institutions.

Open Spaces: The potential roles of open spaces with vegetation on campus play have been well documented. Open spaces with plants, walkways, shades and lights collectively create an environment more appropriate for creative and innovative ideas (USGBC, 2009) than formal classes. The design of the campus should, therefore, be in harmony with the local ecology and sufficient open space.

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UGC recommendations for land requirements

• The committee suggests that the minimum land required for universities be 20 acres (Rationale: the National Education Policy (NEP) states that universities should have at least 3,000 students and the Deemed-to-be university Regulations state that each student should have 30 square meters). The land must be debt-free, continuous, and freehold or on lease. If on lease, lease must be for a minimum period of thirty years.
• The committee suggests that open areas make up 40% of the entire land area.
• Nearby HEIs under a single management/multiple management can share common spaces like a playground, gym, and library etc.
• The minimum developed land for an open university, except an open university established or incorporated by or under the central act, shall be five acres.
• The minimum land requirement for off-campus, constituent units may be five acres.

Considering the land constraints in the metropolitan cities and hilly terrains, the committee recommends the following:

• The land requirement should be 10 acres with a 3-acre open space.
• The land need not be contiguous, scattered expansion may be permitted. Vertical expansion may also be permitted, wherever the law permits. Accordingly, the built up area can be reduced. But the total area of open space should be maintained as three acres to support a healthy green campus.