UGC Issues Warning Against Fake Universities, Urges Students to Verify Credentials
The UGC has urged students to verify the authenticity of universities and institutions on its official website (www.ugc.ac.in) before seeking admission. Additionally, the public has been encouraged to report any unauthorized institutions via email at ugcampc@gmail.com for further action.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a public notice cautioning students, parents, and the general public against fake universities awarding unrecognized degrees. The commission reiterated that only institutions established under a State Act, Central Act, or Provincial Act, or those empowered under the UGC Act, 1956, can legally confer degrees. However, several institutions have been found violating these regulations, offering degrees that are not recognized for higher education or employment purposes.
The UGC has urged students to verify the authenticity of universities and institutions on its official website (www.ugc.ac.in) before seeking admission. Additionally, the public has been encouraged to report any unauthorized institutions via email at ugcampc@gmail.com for further action.
This warning comes in the wake of a recent parliamentary response by the Ministry of Education, which revealed that since 2014, 12 out of the 21 fake universities listed by the UGC have been shut down. The ministry confirmed that at least 21 self-styled, unrecognized institutions had been operating in contravention of the UGC Act, with a majority of them located in Delhi, followed by Uttar Pradesh. These institutions had been declared fake by the UGC, and necessary action was being taken against them.
The list of fake universities is available on the UGC website (Fake Universities List). Since maintaining law and order is a state subject, the Central Government has urged the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories to take legal action against such institutions and those responsible for misleading students. The state governments have also been asked to inform the Centre and the UGC of any additional fake universities operating in their jurisdictions.
To combat the issue, the UGC and the government have taken the following steps:
Requesting all State/UT Chief Secretaries to take legal action against fraudulent institutions misrepresenting themselves as universities.
Lodging FIRs against several self-styled institutions awarding invalid degrees.
Issuing Show Cause and Warning Notices to unauthorized institutes violating UGC guidelines.
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