Is MBA from IIPM valid?

SC’s judgement states that AICTE doesn’t have the power to regulate 'Management' education as it is not 'technical' in nature, which suggests that IIPM can offer MBA. On the other hand, UGC doesn't recognise the institute and its courses. What is the reality?

The Supreme Court in a recent judgement redefined the role of All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) which states that the council does not have any power to regulate 'Management' education as it is not 'technical' in nature. With the release of this judgement, the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) claims victory and suggests that it is free to offer MBA programmes.

The SC’s judgment released on July 24 is in line with its 2014 order, where it stated that AICTE does not have any power to regulate 'Management' education and hence doesn’t come within the purview of Sec 2(g) of the AICTE Act. However, this implies that the institutes offering management education need to be affiliated to some university. Since IIPM is not affiliated to any university, it raises a question on its ability to offer an MBA programme. The institute is also not entitled to confer degrees to its students as it does not fulfil the rules laid by the University Grants Commission (UGC). According to the UGC rules, any student who has completed an MBA programme successfully is eligible for a degree.

As a matter of fact, the UGC released a notice on its official website in May this year announcing that the MBA offered by IIPM isn’t valid. It reads that the Commission does not recognise the institute or any of the UG/PG degree offered by it be it BBA/MBA/BCA.

What now?

Even though IIPM does not lie under the jurisdiction of AICTE and can offer MBA programmes, neither is it recognised by the UGC nor is it entitled to confer any degrees. Therefore, students are required to weigh all the pros and cons before selecting the institute for an MBA programme.