The University Grants Commission (UGC) has revised its guidelines mandating the reservation of supernumerary seats for international students. The guidelines had been originally released by UGC in September 2022.
The move is aimed at promoting the internationalisation of Indian higher educational institutions (HEIs). Supernumerary seats are additional seats that are over and above the sanctioned intake approved by the appropriate authority and the government.
Under the new guidelines, HEIs have been directed by UGC to allocate up to 25 percent supernumerary seats for international students. However, the decision to implement this quota rests with individual institutions, taking into account factors such as infrastructure and faculty availability.
The reserved supernumerary seats are exclusively designated for international students, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. They will exclude those participating in exchange programmes. If any remain vacant, they will be allocated exclusively to international students.
HEIs are instructed to admit international students based on the equivalence of their entry qualifications. According to officials, international students are those who possess foreign passports.
Meanwhile, UGC has issued a directive to all higher education institutions, instructing them to refrain from admitting foreign nationals into open and distance learning (ODL) programmes.
The notice underscored the eligibility criteria specified in Annexure III of the UGC regulations, limiting enrolment to learners residing in India.
In adherence to regulation 23 of the UGC, ODL Programmes and Online Programmes Regulations, 2020, the Commission emphasised that learners residing within India are permitted to enrol in ODL programmes.
Also, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also said student visas cannot be granted to international students funded by franchise educational institutes, off-campus centres, or study centres of open universities offering distance learning programmes. This restriction extends to outreach programmes and courses lacking regulatory sanctions.
