Universities can offer admissions twice a year from 2024-25 session: UGC

Indian universities and higher education institutions will now be permitted to offer admissions twice a year, similar to foreign universities, following approval from the University Grants Commission, UGC chief Jagadesh Kumar said.

From the 2024-25 academic session, the two admission cycles will be in July-August and January-February.

“If Indian universities can offer admission twice a year, it will benefit many students such as those who missed admission to a university in the July-August session due to a delay in the announcement of board results, health issues, or personal reasons,” Kumar said.

He said, “Biannual university admissions will help students maintain motivation since they do not have to wait one full year to be admitted if they miss admission in the current cycle. With biannual admissions in place, industries can also do their campus recruitment twice a year, improving employment opportunities for the graduates.”

The UGC chief stated that biannual admissions will enable higher education institutes (HEIs) to plan their resource distribution, including faculty, labs, classrooms, and support services, more efficiently. This will lead to improved functional flow within the university, said Kumar.

Kumar said that universities across the globe currently adhere to a biannual admission process. If Indian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were to implement a similar biannual admission cycle, it could facilitate increased international collaborations and student exchanges for the HEIs. Consequently, he noted, this would lead to an enhancement of global competitiveness and alignment with international educational norms.

“HEIs can maximise the usefulness of biannual admissions only when they sufficiently prepare faculty members, staff and students for the transition,” the UGC chief said.

Kumar, however, said it will not be mandatory for universities to offer biannual admissions. Higher education institutions with the necessary infrastructure and teaching faculty can choose to utilise this opportunity. “Offering biannual admissions will not be mandatory for the HEIs, it is the flexibility that UGC provides to the HEIs which want to increase their student intake and offer new programmes in emerging areas. To be able to admit students twice a year, HEIs must make suitable amendments to their institutional regulations,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)