The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a notice warning students, parents, and the general public about fake universities and institutions. The commission stated that only universities or institutions established under a State Act, Central Act, or Provincial Act, or those empowered to confer degrees under the UGC Act, 1956, are authorised to award degrees.
"However, it has come to the UGC's notice that several institutions are offering degrees in violation of the UGC Act. Degrees awarded by such institutions shall neither be recognized nor considered valid for higher education or employment," the notice states.
The UGC has urged all stakeholders to verify the list of recognised universities and fake institutions on its official website, ugc.ac.in, before seeking admission.
Additionally, students are encouraged to report institutions offering unauthorised academic programmes by emailing ugcampc@gmail.com, so appropriate action can be taken.
Government Crackdown On Fake Universities
In February, Minister of State for Education, Dr Sukanta Majumdar, informed the Lok Sabha that 21 educational institutions were identified as fake universities on the University Grants Commission (UGC) website. When questioned about the official declaration of these universities as "fake" and the actions taken against them, he clarified that maintaining law and order falls under the jurisdiction of state governments. Consequently, the central government has urged Chief Secretaries of states and Union Territory administrators to initiate legal proceedings to shut down these institutions and take strict action against those misleading students. Since 2014, 12 such fake universities have been shut.
UGC's List Of Fake Universities
The following institutions have been flagged as fake universities by the UGC:
Andhra Pradesh
Christ New Testament Deemed University, Guntur
Bible Open University of India, Visakhapatnam
Delhi
- All India Institute of Public & Physical Health Sciences (AIIPHS)
- Commercial University Ltd Daryaganj
- United Nations University
- Vocational University
- ADR-Centric Juridical University
- Indian Institute of Science and Engineering
- Viswakarma Open University for Self-Employment
- Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya (Spiritual University)
Karnataka
Badaganvi Sarkar World Open University Education Society
Kerala
St John's University, Kishanattam
International Islamic University of Prophetic Medicine (IIUPM), Kozhikode
Maharashtra
Raja Arabic University, Nagpur
Puducherry
Sree Bodhi Academy of Higher Education
Uttar Pradesh
- Gandhi Hindi Vidyapith, Prayagraj
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University (Open University), Aligarh
- Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow
- Mahamaya Technical University, Noida
West Bengal
- Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, Kolkata
- Institute of Alternative Medicine and Research, Kolkata
