Admissions to universities in India to be offered twice a year from 2024-25: UGC

The University Grants Commission (UGC) announced on Tuesday that admissions to universities in India will be permitted twice a year, aligning with foreign institutions, reported PTI.

UGC chief Jagadesh Kumar said, “Universities in India will be allowed to offer admissions twice a year on lines of foreign institutions.” The first admission cycle will take place in July-August, while the second will be conducted in January-February, starting from the current academic session.

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Global competitiveness

The UGC chief noted that universities across the world follow a biannual admission system approach. The transformation in the admission cycle across domestic universities is aimed to improve global competitiveness. 

The proposed changes in the admission cycle will enable higher education institutes (HEIs) to improve their international collaborations and student exchange programmes.

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He added, “Biannual admissions will also enable the HEIs to plan their resource distribution, such as faculty, labs, classrooms and support services, more efficiently, resulting in a better functional flow within the university.” The UGC chief further noted that industries can conduct campus recruitment twice a year, which will improve employment opportunities.

Will all universities across India admit students twice a year?

These biannual admissions in universities is being made to align India's higher education system with global educational standards, UGC chief Jagadesh Kumar informed news agency PTI. However, the proposed changes in admission to universities is subject to discretion of HEIs and isn't binding. 

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Following amendments to their institutional regulations, universities can flexibly increase their student intake and offer new programmes in emerging areas. 

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Jagadesh Kumar said that HEIs need to work on administrative intricacies, good planning for increased use of available resources, and provide seamless support systems to go ahead with the biannual admission process. These pointers need to be kept in mind for a smooth transition of students admitted at dissimilar times of the year. The UGC chief added, "HEIs can maximise the usefulness of biannual admissions only when they sufficiently prepare faculty members, staff and students for the transition.”

(With PTI inputs)