Online Degree Equivalent to Regular Degree: UGC Update

In a recent update, UGC has declared that Online & ODL Degrees are Equivalent to Regular Degree from now on. Read the following article for more information in detail.

The University Grants Commission has released an official notice declaring that Degrees obtained through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) & Online Mode with being treated as equivalent to the degree obtained through conventional and regular modes. UGC has come up with the decision based on Regulation 22 of UGC (Open and Distance learning Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations. Now, the students will be able to secure undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Online and ODL mode which will be considered at par with the regular mode.

UGC Official Notification on Online & ODL Degree Equivalent as Regular one

This change will have a tectonic impact on the career and lives of the candidates who have secured their degrees through Open and Distance Learning or Online Mode. Since, the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, there has been a surge in online and distance education in the country. Keeping that in view, UGC’s decision to give equal recognition to the online and distance degree, many students will benefit from this.

However, many certain courses and degrees require field exposure and on-ground experience. The students will have to comply with such requirements during their degree courses. Therefore, UGC released the guidelines to provide clarity between the courses that can and can’t be done under the online and ODL mode.

Within the guidelines, UGC clearly mentioned which courses have been prohibited under the ODL and Online mode. Some of the programs/courses are Engineering, Physiotherapy, Medical and a few others.

Two Full-Time Degree Pursued Simultaneously: New Guideline By UGC

Recently, UGC also confirmed how students can opt for two-degree courses simultaneously from one or two different universities. In other words, students can get two different undergraduate or post-graduate degrees simultaneously and they will be treated equally. Moreover, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has also released guidelines stating the intricacies and limitations of the process of acquiring two degrees simultaneously.