The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Tuesday relaxed norms for Indian institutions to collaborate with foreign institutions and higher educational institutions to offer joint degrees, dual degrees and twinning degree courses.

Instead of top 500, Indian universities can now collaborate with the top 1,000 universities for the courses. For foreign institutes to be eligible to collaborate with Indian institutions, they must feature in the list of the world’s top 1,000 in the Times Higher Education (THE) and QS World University Rankings.

Any Indian higher education institution accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a minimum score of 3.01 on a 4-point scale or figuring in the top 100 in the university category of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) will be eligible to enter into a partnership to offer collaborative programmes.

Entitled institutions

“Institutes fulfilling the prerequisite eligibility criteria of rankings will be called ‘entitled institutions’ and will not require any approval from the UGC to proceed with the partnership,” M Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman, UGC, said in a virtual meeting.

In 2016, such collaborations were allowed by the UGC, but it received a lukewarm response which led to the relaxation of norms.

According to Kumar, students enrolling in the jointly-offered programmes will be able to earn a specific percentage of the course credit, depending on the type of programme, at a foreign university. Students need not get admission to a foreign university and the current amendments will allow them to have the study abroad experience while being in India.

Criteria

If the Indian institution partners with a foreign university and offers a twinning programme, then students will have to complete 30 per cent of the course’s credits at the latter university through an exchange programme. The same will be applicable to foreign students enrolling in a similar programme.

Under twinning arrangements, credits earned at a foreign educational institution will be counted toward the degree awarded by the Indian higher education institution. Each institution will mention that for the concerned course, the student has taken certain modules at the partner institution.

For joint degrees, both the partner institutions will have to sign an MoU. Indian students will complete more 30 per cent of their course credit at a foreign institute. The degree, on completion of the course, will be awarded by the Indian institution along with a certificate of credit recognition.

Dual degrees will be awarded by both Indian and foreign institutions and will indicate the credits earned at the respective institutions.

“Universities have been told to keep the fees affordable. We have 4 crore students now and this number will soon go up to 10 crore. We belive the new amendments will lead to internationalisation of higher education,” he said.