Colleges in India can admit students twice a year from the 2024-25 academic session, following a big decision taken by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to give more flexibility to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Admissions can either be offered in January-February or July-August from the new academic year.
The colleges offering programmes both online and in physical mode can now admit students twice a year.
While offering biannual admissions is not mandatory, the flexibility has been provided to the colleges who want to increase their student intake and offer new programmes in emerging areas. The institutions will need to make suitable amendments to their rules to open admissions twice a year, according to the UGC.
UGC had earlier allowed biannual admissions under Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and online modes.
Currently, higher education institutions admit students in one academic session, which starts in July-August and ends in May-June.
After UGC permitted two-cycle admissions for online or distance learning, there was a significant rise in the number of enrolments, according to officials. A total of 19,73,056 students enrolled in July 2022, with an additional 4,28,854 students in January 2023. The numbers showed that a second academic session in a year enabled nearly half a million students to join the degree programmes of their choice without waiting a full academic year.
Sharing some insights on how the decision will benefit the students, UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, said, "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. Biannual university admissions will also keep students motivated since they do not have to wait one full year to be admitted if they miss admission in the current cycle."
Mr Kumar added, "With biannual admissions in place, Industries can also do their campus recruitment twice a year, improving employment opportunities for the graduates. Biannual admissions will also enable the HEIs to plan their resource distribution, such as faculty, labs, classrooms and support services, more efficiently, resulting in a better functional flow within the university."