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Author :
Nisha Sharma |
Finding the right university has never been easier. With just a click of a button, you can browse hundreds of universities and view their comparison. But most universities do not offer recognised degrees, so before you start comparing fees, placements, and specialisations, make sure to check if a university is approved by UGC.
Students overlook this step, trusting the advertisements, social media posts or the university website itself. But the University Grants Commission reminds students to keep an eye out for fraudulent institutes that lure students with false promises. Each year, UGC warns students against such universities, highlighting the importance of checking a university's authenticity before taking admission.
Along with checking that the course is under the UGC, another important step to take when studying through an online degree programme is to ensure that the course has been granted UGC-DEB entitlement for the academic year. This aspect is overlooked by many students, as a result of which they assume that any course provided by a university that has been approved by the UGC is automatically approved.
Checking a university's UGC approval is easy. In fact, you don't have to depend on those advertisements, YouTube channels, or social media posts run by colleges. You can go straight to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and UGC-DEB. Here's how:
1. Check the Official UGC Website
The best place to start is the official UGC website. Here, you'll find lists of all UGC-approved Central, State, Private, and Deemed-to-be Universities in India. This is where you should double-check the authenticity of any university that isn't on these lists.
2. Search the University Name
If you've found the university, great! But make sure you check it again using the search option. This way, you'll know for sure whether it's an approved educational institution.
3. Check Approval for Online Courses
If you're considering enrolling in an online course or degree, like an Online MBA, Online BBA, or Online MCA, there's one more step. You'll have to check the UGC-DEB website and ensure that the program you're interested in is approved for the current academic year. Remember, an online course must be UGC-DEB-approved in order to be legitimate.
4. Check the Academic session
Students tend to ignore this point. The UGC-DEB approval is given for specific academic sessions. So, it’s mandatory to check if your desired course is approved in the session you are planning to apply.
5. Verify the details from the University’s portal
Lastly, you must check the course name, eligibility, duration, and admission details on the university’s website against the information available on the UGC/UGC-DEB portal. If there is any inconsistency, report it to the university before applying.
Students get tricked by institutes having a decent website and good advertisement. The truth is, there are several fake universities misguiding people and earning money. University Grants Commission (UGC) regularly releases a list of fake universities and advises students to confirm the university before admission. There are certain things one must consider before applying to any institute/university. Listed below are some of the signs that might give you an idea about a fake university.
Signs That Might Indicate a Fake University
Before applying to any educational institution, consider these points
The name of the university is not on the official website of UGC.
The university is not on the list of UGC-DEB (Distance Education Board) if it offers online or distance-based courses.
The university claims to give degrees in an extremely short span of time.
They allow admission to students without considering their eligibility.
They make false claims like a 100% placement guarantee, etc.
The official website does not mention approval/recognition or legal status of the institution.
When it comes to selecting a university, one should not only consider courses but also their accreditation. Before paying the amount to get admitted, one should spend a while checking out the university along with the course. Here are some of the admission checks to consider when applying to a distance education program:
1. Check Whether the University is UGC Recognized
Before applying to any university, ensure that it is recognised by the University Grants Commission. You can check the list of UGC-recognized universities on the official website. Secondly, if you are applying for an online course, check whether your course is approved by UGC-DEB. To double-check, you can visit the official website of UGC-DEB.
2. Read the Details of the Program Carefully
Before you pay the admission fees, go through all the terms and conditions of the program carefully. In addition, ensure that the offered courses, eligibility criteria, and other relevant information match the data provided on the official website or not.
3. Verify the Academic Session
UGC-DEB accreditation is valid for a specific academic session. Make sure to check that the course you are interested in is approved for the year you want to enrol.
4. Check the University’s Contact Information
A legitimate university will provide its campus address, email, contact number, and admission helpline. If you have trouble finding this information or it seems unavailable, be wary of fraudulent institutions.
5. Don’t Be Fooled By Advertisements
Scholarships, placements, and other tempting offers may attract you into enrollment. Always check a university’s accreditation before considering course details, faculty, fees, and other services.
Sometimes you may not find a university on the UGC website or the UGC-DEB portal. In such a scenario, rather than wasting time completing your admission, it is better to do some research before making the final payment. The steps that are mentioned below will provide you with a safe way to identify a fraudulent university before making any kind of admission.
Firstly, you need to confirm whether the university is approved or not. If you are choosing online/distance education, make sure that the course you have selected is listed on the UGC-DEB portal. Once you have confirmed from both portals, it is better to check once again with the university for further clarification. Moreover, you should not be tempted to go with the universities that claim to provide guaranteed degrees, eligibility irrespective of the criteria, and short-duration courses because UGC warns students against such frauds.
UGC regularly publishes an updated list of universities and fake universities. This helps students in taking the right decision before making any admission. Therefore, it is better to use the authentic source for verifying any information rather than following blind belief and social media or any other unsecured site. So, before taking admission to the university, it is better to cross-check all the relevant information so that you will have no scope for any misunderstanding in the future.
If you are looking for a list of UGC approved universities or UGC approved online universities list, refrain from searching on various unreliable sources or old PDFs. For authentic information regarding UGC approval of any university, visit the sources mentioned below:
UGC Website: Visit the official website of UGC and cross-verify whether your Central, State, Private or Deemed-to-be University is present on the list of UGC Approved Universities in India or not.
UGC-DEB Website: If you are planning to pursue your education online or via distance mode, double-check on the UGC-DEB website whether your university and course are eligible for online/distance education or not.
Check the Programme List: Most often, students overlook the programme list while shortlisting their university. Cross-verify whether your online course or ODL course is present on the latest session’s programme list or not.
Check the Latest Session: UGC-DEB updates the list of entitled programmes for every session. Hence, before enrolling, check the latest session and then check your course and university.
Avoid PDF Listings: Some unreliable portals provide outdated PDFs of UGC approved university list. Avoid such listings; rather, visit the official UGC and UGC-DEB websites for the latest information.
Check Fake University List: Before paying any admission fee, double-check whether your university is not present on the list of fake universities prepared by UGC. UGC regularly updates the list of fake universities to help students avoid being cheated by fraudulent institutes.
A university's website is a reliable source of information regarding its courses, fees, and admission process. However, you must not rely solely on what is published on the website while checking UGC approval for a university.
Some web pages mention 'UGC Recognised' and 'Approved University' on their web pages, but you should cross-verify this information from the official websites of UGC and UGC-DEB.
Before taking admission, double-check the information provided on the university's website with the data published by UGC. Cross-verifying the UGC approval is vital because the university's website can show incorrect information. If you are enrolling in an online course, the course you are looking to pursue should be on the UGC-DEB's entitlement list for the current session.
Firstly, verify if the university is on the list of UGC Approved Universities and, if you are applying for an online course at the university, confirm its presence on the UGC-DEB entitlement list for the current session.
UGC recognition details
UGC-DEB entitlement for online or ODL programmes
NAAC accreditation and grades
Official address and contact details
Eligibility, course duration, and fee structure
Announcements regarding admissions for the current academic year
Checking a university’s eligibility in the UGC list is one of the easiest as well as most important steps before taking admission to a college. It may save you from getting enrolled in an illegal organisation and help you choose an appropriate educational path for your career. Checking a university’s eligibility in the UGC list takes only a little time.
If you are still looking for the best options among the UGC-approved online universities, you should read our blog titled “UGC Approved Online Universities in India 2026“. You will find relevant information about all recognised online universities in India there.
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Amity University Online |
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Manipal Online University |
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Chandigarh University Online |
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Parul University Online |
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Jain University Online |
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