Approval Not Required To Start ODL, Online Courses, Says UGC

University Grants Commission (UGC) has released a notification maintaining that it will not be mandatory for the state/private universities to take approval of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to run technical programmes.

After the new development, the central, state and private universities will not require prior approval or no objection certification (NOC) from AICTE along with their application to UGC for offering of undergraduate, postgraduate and postgraduate diploma programmes under Management, Computer Application and Travel and Tourism disciplines in open and distance learning (ODL) or online mode.

However, deemed to be universities will continue to require prior approval/recommendation/ NOC of AICTE for offering of such programmes, before submitting their application to the commission.

An official notification by the University Body reads, "The Commission considered the communication received from AICTE staring that as per Hon 'ble Supreme Court Judgement in Bharathidasan University and another vs All India Council for Technical Education and Others (2001, 8 SCC 676, it is not mandatory for the State/Private Universities to take AICTE approval to run technical programmes."

"After detailed deliberations, the commission decided that for universities whether State or Central or Private, prior approval recommendation NOC of AICTE shall not be required, as per UGC (ODL Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020 for offering programmes in ODL and or online made," added the notification.