NCERT now ‘deemed to be university’; to offer higher education courses

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The Centre has granted the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) the status of an “Institution deemed to be University under distinct category”, enabling it to independently offer degree programmes as part of efforts to strengthen teacher education and educational research in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Representative image.With the new status conferred by the Union ministry of education, NCERT will now be able to offer higher education programmes in education across diploma, undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), doctoral and specialised levels, while continuing its core role in school curriculum development. Officials said the “distinct category” tag recognises NCERT’s specialised national role, distinguishing it from conventional universities while granting it autonomy to design and run academic programmes. Prior to this, NCERT conducted graduate and postgraduate teacher training programmes through its six constituent Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs), which were affiliated with local universities across five states. These included Barkatullah University in Bhopal, MDS University in Ajmer, the University of Mysore, Utkal University in Bhubaneswar and North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong. The RIEs required approval from their respective affiliated universities to introduce new courses. According to a notification issued by the higher education department of the ministry on March 30, NCERT will also be permitted to establish off-campus and offshore centres “only in accordance with the norms and guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC), from time to time, on the subject.” The decision to grant deemed university status to NCERT headquarters in Delhi, along with its six constituent institutions, including RIEs in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru and Shillong, and the Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education in Bhopal, was taken by the ministry “in exercise of powers conferred under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956” on the advice of the UGC. This provision allows the Centre to declare an institution of higher learning as a deemed university, granting it autonomy to award degrees subject to UGC regulations. The move follows a process spanning over three years. In September 2022, NCERT had applied to the UGC seeking deemed university status under the distinct category. The commission recommended issuance of a Letter of Intent (LoI) in October 2022, following which the ministry issued the LoI in August 2023, asking NCERT to fulfil conditions such as strengthening academic and research capacity, complying with UGC norms, and initiating doctoral and innovative academic programmes within three years. NCERT submitted its compliance report in November 2025, which was accepted by a UGC expert committee in January 2026 and subsequently approved by the commission, paving the way for the final notification on March 30. Through the notification, the ministry has directed the institution to “commence research programmes as well as doctoral and innovative academic programmes” and expand into new areas in line with NEP 2020. The ministry also specified that the institution “shall not engage or indulge in any activities that are of commercial and profit making in nature” and that there should be no diversion of funds without prior approval. It further mandates adherence to UGC norms for academic programmes, compulsory accreditation by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), participation in annual rankings under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), and adoption of digital academic systems such as the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC).