New UGC rules to safeguard students enrolling in distance and online learning programs
Students enrolling in ODL or online programs will face new enrollment process from September onwards, as per UGC's new rules.
Starting September, students enrolling in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or online programmes will face a new enrollment process designed to protect their academic futures and ensure transparency. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has introduced these changes following reports that some Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) had admitted students into unapproved programs, putting their education at risk.
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The UGC, during its 581st meeting on June 25, decided to enforce a standardised admission procedure across all recognised HEIs offering ODL and online programmes.
As part of this initiative, students must now register on the UGC Distance Education Bureau (DEB) web portal with their Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) ID to obtain a unique DEB-ID before enrolling. This DEB-ID, which is mandatory for all Indian students (except foreign learners), will remain valid for lifelong learning in these modes.
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The new measures align with the UGC’s 2020 regulations, which set minimum standards for HEIs offering ODL and Online Programmes. The Commission's list of approved universities is publicly available on the UGC-DEB website.
UGC has urged all HEIs to swiftly integrate the necessary systems. Any students or institutions needing further information are encouraged to visit the UGC-DEB website or contact the Helpdesk for assistance.
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Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, chairman, UGC said, "To protect student interests, the UGC has introduced a mechanism requiring students to register on the UGC-DEB web portal and generate a unique DEB-ID using their ABC-ID. This DEB-ID will be compulsory for all students enrolling in recognized ODL or online programmes, except for international students, and will remain valid for their lifetime. HEIs are encouraged to efficiently implement this new admission process and actively promote it to prospective learners to ensure its successful adoption and operation."
