The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved 101 Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to offer Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and online programmes for the 2025–26 academic year, beginning July–August 2025. The Commission has also announced October 15, 2025, as the final date for student admissions into recognised ODL and online courses.
The UGC has directed all approved institutions to follow the UGC (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020 and ensure compliance with all academic and administrative requirements.
UGC ODL and Online Learning 2025: Key Guidelines
As per the official notice, institutions must strictly adhere to the UGC Notification on Specification of Degrees, 2014, including entry-level qualifications, admission mode, duration of programmes, and credit requirements.
The Commission also clarified that Central, State, and Private Universities will not require prior approval or NOC from AICTE to offer Undergraduate, Postgraduate, or PG Diploma programmes in areas like Management, Computer Applications, and Travel and Tourism under ODL or online modes.
However, Deemed-to-be Universities must seek prior approval from AICTE before launching such programmes in online or distance mode.
Admission and Data Submission Deadline
The UGC has instructed all approved HEIs to admit students and submit admission data on the Distance Education Bureau (DEB) Web portal by October 15, 2025. Institutions that fail to upload the data on time may face regulatory action.
Event | Deadline |
Admission to ODL/Online Programmes | October 15, 2025 |
Data Submission on DEB Portal | October 15, 2025 |
Academic Session | July–August 2025 onwards |
List of HEIs Approved for ODL and Online Programmes 2025–26
The UGC has approved 101 universities across India to offer ODL and online degree programmes for the 2025–26 session. The complete list of approved institutions is available in the official notice on the UGC website (ugc.ac.in). These include a mix of Central, State, Private, and Deemed Universities that have met the regulatory criteria.
UGC Action Against Defaulter Universities
Recently, the UGC issued notices to 54 state private universities for failing to submit information as per Section 13 of the UGC Act, 1956, and for not making mandatory disclosures on their websites. These universities have been declared defaulters by the Commission, with the highest number of cases reported from Madhya Pradesh.
The Commission continues to monitor universities closely to ensure transparency, quality, and compliance with distance and online education standards.
