Explainer: About UGC’s foreign degree equivalence
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified regulations which will make it easier for students to get their foreign academic qualifications recognised in India. These rules are called the UGC (Recognition and Grant of Equivalence to Qualifications Obtained from Foreign Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2025. Earlier, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) issued equivalence certificates for degrees from foreign universities.
Applicability
Many students return to India with international qualifications to seamlessly integrate into India’s higher education system or job market. UGC says such students need a structured procedure to evaluate foreign credentials, without unpredictable delays and procedural ambiguity. Disciplines like medicine, pharmacy, nursing, law and architecture, which are covered under the respective statutory councils in India, will not be covered under the regulations.
Equivalence certificates will not be required for qualifications obtained from foreign institutions that have collaborations with Indian institutions under UGC regulations.
Conditions
The qualification should have been awarded by a foreign educational institution that is duly recognised under the relevant laws in force in its home country. Moreover, qualifications obtained from off-shore campuses of foreign institutions can also be granted an equivalence certificate, provided the academic programme complies with requirements in the country where the main campus is located.
The entry-level requirements for admission to programmes of study must be similar to that of a corresponding programme of study in India. The regulations will also apply to a qualification obtained from a school situated in a foreign country.
The process
UGC will launch an online portal to receive applications for the grant of equivalence certificate. A standing committee consisting of members who are experts in the field of education in general and higher education will accept or reject the application in 10 days. Equivalence certificates will be provided on the portal. In case of rejection, the applicant can apply for a review, which will be considered by a committee constituted by the UGC.
Earlier practice
The AIU would issue equivalence certificates for degrees from foreign universities. The AIU is a registered society with several universities, public and private, as its members. It also issued equivalence certificates for students who completed school examinations from foreign boards.
Need for regulations
Former UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, under whose tenure the regulations were drafted, said regulations were required to make India a hub of global study destination. “UGC has developed a transparent, technology-driven mechanism for recognising foreign qualifications from schools and higher education institutes. If Indian institutions are to attract international students, we must ensure fair recognition of degrees earned abroad,” he said.
India