The University Grants Commission (UGC) has relaxed the standards for Indian colleges to partner with foreign higher education institutions to offer double degrees, joint degrees and twinning degrees. Such collaborations between Indian and international universities were first allowed in 2016, but after only fewer participants for these courses, UGC had eased the process of collaboration.
Instead of the top 500, Indian universities can now offer joint courses with the top 1000 in-house universities. The ranks are considered the two most prominent rankings – QS and THE. From the side of India, only those higher education institutions that are either in the 3.01 and above NAAC score or in the top 1000 QS/THE ranking, and top 100 universities in the NIRF ranking are eligible for these partnerships .
Within the framework of the collaboration, students will be allowed to follow a certain period of their education at a foreign institution. while for the twinning courses, the upper limit of time spent on a foreign campus is limited to 30 percent, for the dual and join programs, 30 percent of the course duration is the minimum time requirement.
In the case of a joint degree, students will be awarded a diploma from the Indian college along with a certificate from the foreign institute for the time spent in the said campus. In the case of double degrees, students get the diploma signed by both Indian and foreign institutions, as per the rules.
“Currently, there are 4 crore students in the Indian Higher Education Institute. The number will soon reach 10 core students. As we continue to build higher education institutions, one of the many ways to provide students with a quality education is to have access to some of the best international curricula while still being enrolled at home. We believe this will lead to the “internationalization” of higher education,” said UGC President M Jagdeesh Kumar.
In the past, when two universities had to work together, the procedure was extensive, now the approval process was simplified. No approval is required from UGC for institutes that make the cut (as top-ranked colleges).
This will also allow foreign students to study in Indian colleges, as well as the foreign faculty, curriculum and best teaching practices will also be shared between institutions, which in turn will lead to better ranking of Indian colleges, the UGC president said.
UGC has asked colleges to keep reimbursement within “reasonable” limits, but no specific upper limits have been proposed yet. Detailed guidelines for these collaborations will be issued shortly by the UGC.
These partnerships only apply to full-time courses, the courses offered in ODL and online modes are not allowed to offer them.
These regulations allow students to stay at home and access quality higher education institutions and limited foreign exchange for some of the brightest minds in the country.
Students are also offered exit pathways as proposed in NEP. So if they fall, they get a certification if they leave the course halfway through. According to the NEP, those who leave a diploma after one year should receive a certificate, those who leave after two years, a diploma, and so on.
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