UGC Issues a Notification Towards Facilitating Students in Their Admission

The Union Minister for HRD Prakash Javadekar held a press conference in Delhi recently.

While interacting with media Javadekar informed that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a notification on refund of fees and non-retention of original certificates by institutions to facilitate students in their admission.

He further said that the students of our country were facing several problems during admissions, due to coercive and profiteering institutional practices being adopted by some institutions.

For the facilitation of the students, the UGC Notification on Refund of Fees and Non Retention of Original Certificates is being brought out.

Now no student will be required to submit an original academic and personal certificates at the time of submission of admission form and Students’ will get a refund of fee from the Institution if they withdraw their admission from the programme.

This notification shall be applicable to Under Graduate, Post Graduate and Research Programmes run by Universities included under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, all Colleges under their affiliating domain and Institutions declared as Deemed to be Universities under Section 3 of the UGC Act.

Salient features of the Notification are as below-
This Notification will aid the students seeking admission to Higher Educational Institutions in the following manner:

The HEIs can charge fees in advance only for the semester/ year in which a student wants to engage in academic activities. Collecting advance fees for the entire programme of study is strictly prohibited.

The institute will be required to refund the fees, in case a student withdraws from the programme, in the following manner:

I. 100%: in case a student decides to withdraw 15 days or more before the formally notified last date of admission. Not more than 5% of the fees paid by the student, subject to a maximum of Rs. 5000, will be deducted as processing charges.
II. 90%: in case a student decides to withdraw within 15 days before the formally notified last date of admission.
III. 80%: in case a student decides to withdraw within 15 days after the formally notified last date of admission.
IV. 50%: in case a student decides to withdraw between 16 days and 30 days after the formally notified last date of admission.
V. NIL: in case a student decides to withdraw after 30 days of the formally notified last date of admission.
VI. The entire caution money and security deposit, which are not part of the fees chargeable, shall be refunded in full.
VII. Refund of fees shall be made by the HEIs within 15 days of receipt of a written application from a student.

No student will be required to submit any original academic and personal certificates like mark sheets, school leaving certificates, etc., at the time of submission of admission form.

In case required, the institution concerned will only ensure verification of the same with the original certificates and these certificates shall be returned to the students immediately.

No institution can take any original certificate into their custody.

- No HEI can make it mandatory for applicants to purchase the institutional prospectus at any time during the course of the time of the study.
- All HEIs will be required to disclose on their website and prospectus the information regarding the status of the institutions, its affiliating, accreditation status, physical assets and amenities, course-wise sanctioned intake of students, various types of fees payable for different programmes, total fees payable for an entire programme, last date of admission, details of faculty, members of Governing Bodies and minutes of the meeting of bodies, sources of income, financial situation and any other information about its functioning, necessary for an applicant to make a fully informed choice.
- All HEIs will be mandatorily required to have a Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM), according to the provisions of the UGC (Grievance Redressal) Regulations, 2012. This GRM shall be available on the HEI website and the HEIs will be required to ensure that all grievance received are addressed within 30 days.

- This notification provides for initiation of strict punitive actions by the Commission against defaulting HEIs:

a. Withdrawal of declaration of fitness to receive grants from UGC.
b. Withholding of grants allocated to the HEI.
c. Declaration of HEI as ineligible to receive any assistance from UGC for General or Special Programmes.
d. Display of notice in newspapers and media and on the website of the Commission regarding non-compliance by the HEI to ensure that the general public, including candidates seeking admission in that HEI, are well informed.
e. Recommending to the affiliating university for withdrawal of affiliation, in case of a College/ Institute.
f. Recommending to the Central Government for withdrawal of Deemed to be University declaration, in case of an Institution Deemed to be University.
g. Recommending to the appropriate State Government for appropriate necessary action in case of University established or incorporated under a State Act.