UGC Clears Way for Dual Degrees: Simultaneous Enrolment Now Allowed with Revised Norms

Now Allows Dual Full-Time Degrees with Non-Overlapping Timings; ODL/Online Combinations Also Valid

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified a revised set of guidelines that allows students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously, a move aligned with the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Approved during the Commission’s 589th meeting held on April 3, 2025, the new guidelines not only expand current academic flexibility but also validate past instances of dual enrolment under specific conditions.

Under the updated norms, students are now permitted to pursue two full-time academic programmes in physical mode, provided their class timings do not overlap. Additionally, a student can enrol in one full-time physical mode programme and simultaneously pursue another through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) or online mode. They are also allowed to pursue two ODL or online programmes at the same time, provided the programmes are offered by institutions recognised by the UGC, statutory councils, or the Government of India.

A significant change from the earlier guidelines is the recognition of degrees pursued concurrently prior to this notification. If such programmes were undertaken in accordance with the UGC’s First Degree and Master Degree Regulations and followed the rules of the relevant statutory councils and distance education bodies, they will now be considered valid. This modification offers relief to many students who had previously undertaken dual programmes but faced uncertainty over the validity of their qualifications.

These new guidelines, however, do not apply to Ph.D. programmes. Universities and their affiliated institutions have been asked to implement these norms through their statutory bodies. The move is part of a broader effort to make higher education more flexible, interdisciplinary, and inclusive, as envisaged in the NEP 2020.

The revised guidelines take effect from the date of their official notification by the UGC.

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