UGC Bars ODL and Online Degrees in Healthcare and Allied Fields from 2025

The UGC’s ban on online and distance-mode healthcare programmes from 2025 will affect thousands of aspirants who have been doing it online, forcing a shift to regular classroom degrees.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) to stop offering programmes in healthcare and allied disciplines — including psychology, microbiology, biotechnology, food and nutrition science, and clinical nutrition & dietetics — through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and online mode starting July–August 2025.

The UGC move follows recommendations of the Distance Education Bureau’s 24th Working Group, considered and approved in the UGC’s 592nd Commission meeting held on July 23, 2025. The decision is part of National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021, which regulates education and practice in over 50 allied health fields to ensure quality standards and protect patient safety.

What the UGC Order Says

The notice, issued by UGC Secretary, Prof. Manish R. Joshi, directs all HEIs to adhere strictly to the decision. The UGC Notice states: "No recognition for new admissions: From the upcoming academic session (July–August 2025), no HEI will be permitted to admit students in these allied and healthcare programmes under ODL or online mode." The UGC states any recognition already granted for such programmes for 2025–26 and beyond will stand withdrawn by UGC.

It also states that programmes with multiple subjects (e.g., BA with optional psychology), only the allied/healthcare specialisations covered under the NCAHP Act will be disallowed.

The UGC’s decision comes amid rising concerns that healthcare and allied programmes require hands-on clinical training and supervised practice, which ODL and online formats cannot fully provide. Experts have warned several times regarding distance-mode degrees in areas like clinical psychology or nutrition risk compromising both graduate employability and public health standards.

The ban will likely affect several universities currently offering online UG and PG courses in psychology and nutrition, which became popular in past few years for working professionals and students unable to pursue regular programmes.