New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) is set to allow higher education institutions in India to offer students the option of either shortening or stretching their undergraduate courses, moving away from the three or four-year duration required for these degrees as of now, ThePrint has learnt.
The higher education regulator in a meeting this week approved the standard operating procedures for higher education institutions to offer the Accelerated Degree Programme (ADP) and the Extended Degree Programme (EDP), UGC chairperson M. Jagadesh Kumar told ThePrint Thursday.
The commission will soon release the draft regulations in the public domain for wider consultation.
Kumar said that the move was in line with the National Credit Framework (NCrF) released last year in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The framework advocates enabling students with varying learning abilities to move through the curriculum at rates faster or slower than the standard duration of a programme by earning the required credits.
“Students can use this option to shorten or extend their course duration based on their learning abilities. ADP allows students to complete a three-year or four-year degree in less time by earning additional credits per semester, while EDP enables an extended timeline with fewer credits per semester. Under ADP and EDP, students earn the same total credits as in the standard-duration programme,” he explained.
Under the ADP, students can shorten their course duration by one semester in a three-year programme and up to two semesters in a four-year programme, while under the EDP, the duration can be extended by a maximum of two semesters.
Currently, under the NEP 2020, an undergraduate degree is awarded if the student completes a course study of three to four years.
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How will it work?
According to an official UGC document, seen by ThePrint, higher education institutions will earmark 10 percent seats for the ADP. They will constitute a committee to scrutinise applications received at the end of the first or second semester under the EDP and ADP and select students accordingly.
“The committee will also evaluate the credit-completing potential of a student based on their performance in the first or the second semester and give its recommendations. It shall recommend a reduction or an increase in the number of courses and total credits per semester, as per the duration opted by the students,” the document states.
The examination and evaluation system will remain the same as the standard-duration programme.
What is an Accelerated Degree Programme?
According to the UGC document, in a three-year undergraduate degree, students will be allowed to shorten the duration of their course by a maximum of one semester. It means students can earn the total credits needed for a three-year undergraduate programme in five semesters.
Similarly, in a four-year undergraduate programme, students can shorten the course duration by one semester or a maximum of two semesters. It means students can earn the total credits required for a four-year programme in six or seven semesters.
“Based on the credit structure in the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes, the committee shall decide the minimum number of credits a student must earn in a semester in ADP,” the UGC document states.
ADP students will follow the same curriculum and total credits as prescribed for the standard-duration programme.
“The only change will be in the duration of the programme. Students shall have the option to choose ADP either at the end of the first semester or the second semester, and not beyond that,” the document adds.
“Students opting for the ADP will earn additional credits per semester starting from the second or third semester, depending on when they transition to the ADP. If they join the ADP after the first semester, they will begin earning extra credits from the second semester onward. Similarly, if they join the ADP after the second semester, the additional credit load will start from the third semester onward,” it says.
What is an Extended Degree Programme?
Under the EDP, in case of both three and four-year undergraduate programmes, the duration may be extended by up to two semesters.
“Accordingly, students can earn fewer credits in each semester. Based on the credit structure in the Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes, the committee shall decide the minimum number of credits a student must earn in a semester in EDP,” the UGC document states.
“Students shall have the option to choose EDP either at the end of the first semester or the second semester and not beyond that. Accordingly, students who opt for EDP will earn fewer credits every semester than those required in a programme with a standard duration,” it adds.
How will degrees be awarded?
According to Kumar, higher education institutions will be allowed to award degrees to ADP students upon completion of their chosen programme without requiring them to wait for the completion of the standard programme duration.
This flexibility means that students can receive their formal degree once they meet the academic requirements within the opted timeframe.
However, for both the ADP and EDP, a special note must be included on the degree certificate.
“This note will clarify that the student has completed the same academic requirements as those in the standard-duration programme, but within a shortened or extended timeline. For example, in the case of ADP for a four-year undergraduate programme, the note should specify that the student completed the programme’s academic requirements in six or seven semesters,” Kumar told ThePrint.
He also emphasised that degrees earned through the ADP and EDP will be recognised on par with standard-duration degrees by government departments, private organisations, and recruitment bodies such as the Union Public Service Commission and state service commissions. This ensures that these flexible degree options will hold the same academic and professional value as traditional degrees.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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