The University Grants Commission (UGC) has brought about significant changes to its deemed-to-be-university rules, broadening the scope and altering several other regulations for higher education in India. The recent regulations also open the possibility for constituent and autonomous colleges of state universities to apply for deemed university status. However, this will require state government approval and formal notification of the institution. The regulations also allow constituent units to become off-campus centres of existing deemed universities. According to officials, “The state government shall denotify them if they are found eligible to be granted the status … or as an off-campus of any other existing institution deemed to be a university, and the institution shall be permitted to admit students or work as an off-campus or a new institution deemed to be a university only after formal denotification by the concerned state government.” However, officials think this may pose a problem, as states may not want to part with control of good colleges. A government official said, “Generally, the colleges applying for university status are well-functioning ones. So why would state governments want to denotify them? It is ultimately the central government that will have control over these institutions. It might again be a problem in states led by opposition parties.” The new rules also include changes in compliance. Institutions that receive 50% or more of their funds from the central or state government may not be required to re-register their Memorandum of Association (MoA) if they are financially independent. As per the rule, “The central government may permit an institution deemed to be a university sponsored by a philanthropic organisation and substantially funded by the government to continue with its existing MoA for such period of time as may be specified by the Central Government, subject to the criteria that the institute shall demonstrate, through its duly audited books of accounts, that it can generate a minimum of 50% of its revenue on its own; that is, total receipts as well as total expenses of the institute is more than twice the government grants.” A senior official explained the intent behind this change, saying: “On the technical part, it is actually easing institutions from the need to renew documents and reducing bureaucratic work. But it is also about finding substantial funding of their own. On the other hand, it introduces the term ‘philanthropic organisation’; however, it does not specify which organisations will qualify.” Under the regulations, existing deemed-to-be universities will have to comply with the new rules within a year and report to the UGC on compliance. Currently, there are 155 deemed-to-be universities in India, compared to 126 in 2022. Most are in Tamil Nadu, followed by Maharashtra. They follow UGC guidelines and require approval for activities such as opening satellite centres, introducing new courses, and offering distance education. The first deemed-to-be university in India was the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, which was founded in 1958. Recently, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) also became a deemed-to-be university. Universities are generally established in India through state or central Acts. Deemed-to-be universities are a unique category under the UGC Act that allows institutions without a university law to award degrees. This development comes as a new regulator, Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA), is proposed to replace the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE. The VBSA Bill is currently with a joint parliamentary committee. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Education, CBSE, JEE, UPSC and around the world.