The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been granted the status of an "institution deemed to be a university under the distinct category", allowing it to independently offer degree programmes from diploma to doctoral levels.
The move comes three years after it was first proposed, in a notification issued by the Ministry of Education on March 30 under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956.
"The Ministry of Education, on the advice of the UGC, hereby declares National Council of Educational Research and Training... consisting of... six constituent units as an Institution deemed to be University under distinct category," the notification states.
The decision applies to NCERT headquarters in Delhi as well as its six constituent institutions, marking a significant expansion of the organisation's role beyond school curriculum development into higher education and research.
Expanded Academic Mandate
NCERT will now be able to offer undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and specialised programmes in education. The notification directs the institution to "take appropriate steps to commence research programmes as well as doctoral and innovative academic programmes" in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Officials said the "distinct category" tag recognises NCERT's specialised national role, granting it autonomy to design and run academic programmes while distinguishing it from conventional universities.
Structural Shift For Constituent Institutes
The status covers the Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs) in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru and Shillong, along with the Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education in Bhopal.
Until now, these institutes operated across five states and were affiliated with universities such as Barkatullah University in Bhopal, MDS University in Ajmer, the University of Mysore, Utkal University in Bhubaneswar and North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong. They required approval from their parent universities to introduce new courses, a requirement that will no longer apply.
Under UGC Framework, With Restrictions
The notification places NCERT under the regulatory framework of the University Grants Commission (UGC), specifying that "the academic programmes... shall conform to the norms and standards prescribed by the UGC".
It adds that any new courses, off-campus centres or offshore campuses can be established "only in accordance with the norms and guidelines issued by the UGC".
The institution "shall not engage or indulge in any activities that are of commercial and profit making in nature", the notification states, also barring diversion of funds without prior approval.
NCERT will be required to participate in national rankings under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), obtain accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA), and implement digital systems such as the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), with credit records to be uploaded in digital lockers.
Process Spanning Three Years
The declaration follows a multi-stage process that began with NCERT's application to the UGC in September 2022. The commission recommended a Letter of Intent, which was issued by the ministry in August 2023, asking the institution to strengthen academic and research capacity and initiate doctoral and innovative programmes within three years.
NCERT submitted its compliance report in November 2025. It was accepted by a UGC expert committee and approved during the commission's 595th meeting held on January 30 this year, paving the way for the final notification.
The move comes after concerns were raised within NCERT earlier, with some faculty warning that becoming a degree-granting institution could affect its autonomy.
When the proposal was first announced in 2023, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said the step would help NCERT evolve into a research-driven institution and expand its global academic engagement.
An earlier proposal to grant NCERT the status of an "institution of national importance" was not pursued, with the government opting instead for the deemed university route.