GENERAL

What is a Deemed University as per UGC ?

Arsh • 9 Mins read • 1 Jan 25

What is Deemed University as per UGC?

if you’re reading this blog, you’re either right now in a university or will be in the future, or maybe you learned in a university in the past.Either way, you might admit that universities play a major role in education, by imparting professional understanding and supporting their learners to develop skills. They also undertake analysis and creation projects and act as means of cultural and social development.

All the universities are not the same. There are mainly 4 kinds of universities in India, based on who establishes and operates them: Private, Central, Deemed, and State universities.

What is the meaning of Deemed University As Per UGC?

Before defining a deemed University, you should learn about the University Grants Commission (UGC). UGC is a statutory body set up by the Union Government in the year 1956 and handled by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

This body synchronizes and oversees higher education in India. One of its most significant tasks, even so, is to provide recognition to universities. This indicates that higher education institutions are categorized as universities only if they are rooted under some Central or State Act and are acknowledged by the UGC.

The University Grant commission functions according to the conditions noted in the University Grants Commission Act, 1956. This Act claims to all the universities in India.

Section 3 of this Act states that the UGC can suggest the Government to announce any other higher education college (which is not a university), to be a Deemed University. And this gets us to the meaning of the phrase.

A Deemed University is simply an institution that delivers high standards in a distinct region of study and, because of this, is deemed to be a university by the Central Government upon the guidance of the UGC. This position helps such institutions to enjoy the same advantages and honors that are open to any other university in the nation.

Different Types of Universities in India

Before knowing everything about deemed universities, lets first understand the types of universities that are there in India. In India, UGC has mainly categorized universities into five types which are:

Central Universities
Private Universities
State Universities
Deemed-to-be Universities
Autonomous colleges

Let's discuss each type of university in brief:

Type of University	Brief Information	Salient Features
Central University	In India, Central universities are founded by an Act of Parliament and are beneath the purview of the Department of Higher studies in the Ministry of Education.Aligarh Muslim University, Assam University, Jawaharlal Nehru University are some of the central universities in India.There are a total of 47 central universities in our nation.	Conduct their own admission procedure
Private University	Private universities are usually not managed or owned by governments. Recognized and regulated by UGC these universities grant their own certificates and degrees but are prohibited from having off-campus affiliated institutes.Vellore Institute of Technology, Amity University Gwalior, are some of the private universities in India.According to a UGC consolidated list, there are 397 private universities in India.	Conduct their own admission process Can decide their own syllabus Conduct their own exams Award degrees to the students
State University	State universities are operated by the state government of each of the states and regions of India and are normally founded by a local legislative assembly act.In India, there are 441 state universities. Three of the oldest state universities of higher learning in the country are University of Mumbai, University of Madras, and University of Calcutta.	Conduct their own admission process Can decide their own syllabus Conduct their own exams Award degrees to the students
Deemed-to-be University	“Deemed” is a status of autonomy granted to a university by DHE under MHRD, on the advice of UGC.Deemed to be Universities enjoy full autonomy or independence in deciding courses, syllabus, admissions, and fees. Few of the Deemed-to-be Universities can also award degrees to students on their own.There are a total of 126 Deemed-to-be universities in the nation.	Conduct their own admission process Can decide their own syllabus Conduct their own exams May or may not award degrees to the student's
Autonomous College	Autonomous colleges exercise independent control over their daily operations, syllabus, courses offered, and admission procedure. They fall under the administrative control of the Department of Higher Education (DHE), MHRD. The degree or diploma is given to students by the affiliated university.	Conduct their own admission process Can decide their own syllabus Conduct their own exams May or may not award degrees to the student's

Total Number of Universities in India

Currently, there are 1018 in total universities across India till 2021. These universities are categorized into Central, Private, State, and Deemed-to-be universities. To know about the total number of universities in India take a glance at the table below.

Type of Universities	Total No. of Universities (As of November 2021)
State Universities	441
Deemed-to-be Universities	126
Central Universities	54
Total	1018

List of Deemed Universities in India (State Wise)

Under section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, the list of deemed universities of major states and union regions in India is mentioned below:

States and UTs	No. of Deemed Universities as of November 2021	Deemed Universities
Andhra Pradesh	4	Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM) Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning Vignan's Foundation for Science, Technology and Research
Arunachal Pradesh	1	North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & Technology
Assam	1	Central Institute of Technology(CIT)
Bihar	1	Nava Nalanda Mahavihara
Delhi	7	Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Indian Agricultural Research Institute Indian Law Institute Jamia Hamdard National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) National Museum Institute of History of Arts, Conservation and Musicology TERI School of Advanced studie
Gujarat	3	Gujarat Vidyapith National Rail and Transportation Institute Sumandeep Vidyapeethg
Haryana	6	Lingaya's Vidyapeeth Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University) Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies National Brain Research Centre National Dairy Research Institute National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship & Management (NIFTEM)
Jammu and Kashmir	1	Central Institute of Buddhist Studies(CIBS)
Jharkhand	1	Birla Institute of Technology
Karnataka	14	B.L.D.E. Christ Indian Institute of Science International Institute of Information Technology Jain Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research K.L.E. Academy of Higher Education and Research Manipal Academy of Higher Education NITTE Sri Devraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana Yenepoya
Kerala	3	Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Kerala Kalamandalam
Chandigarh	1	Punjab Engineering College
Madhya Pradesh	1	Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education
Maharashtra	21	Bharati Vidyapeeth Central Institute of Fisheries Education D.Y Patil Educational Society Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences Deccan College Postgraduate & Research Institute Dr D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics Homi Bhabha National Institute Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research Defense Institute of Advanced Technology International Institute for Population Sciences Institute of Chemical Technology Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences MGM Institute of Health Sciences Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeeth Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences Symbiosis International University Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Tata Institute of Social Sciences Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth
Orissa	3	Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences Siksha 'O' Anusandhan
Puducherry	1	Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University)
Punjab	2	Sant Logowal Institute of Engineering & Technology Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology
Rajasthan	8	Banasthai Vidyapith Birla Institute of Technology & Science IIS Institute of Advanced Studies in Education Jain Vishva Bharati Institute Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth National Institute of Ayurveda The LNM Institute of Information Technology
Tamil Nadu	28	Academy of Maritime Education and Training Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science & Higher Education for Women B.S. Abdur Rahman Institute of Science and Technology Bharath Institute of Higher Education & Research Chennai Mathematical Institute Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE) Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS) Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education Karpagam Academy of Higher Education Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science & Technology (PMIST) Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science & Technology (PRIST) S.R.M Institute of Science and Technology Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy (SASTRA)Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Vishwa Mahavidyalaya Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (Deemed University) St. Peter’s Institute of Higher Education and Research The Gandhiigram Rural Institute Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R & D Institute of Science and Technology Vellore Institute of Technology VELS Institute of Science Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS) Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation
Uttar Pradesh	9	Bhatkhande Music Institute Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies Dayalbagh Educational Institute Indian Veterinary Research Institute Jaypee Institute of Information Technology Nehru Gram Bharati Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology Sciences Santosh Shobhit Institute of Engineering & Technology
Uttarakhand	3	Forest Research Institute Graphic Era Gurukul Kangri Vidyapeeth
West Bengal	2	Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute
Telangana	3	Chaitanya (Deemed to be University) ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education International Institute of Information Technology

Difference between Deemed-to-be, Private and Autonomous Universities

Deemed-to-be Universities	Private Universities	Autonomous institutes
Deemed is a position of Freedom awarded to the university by DHE under MHRD, on the advice of UGC	Private universities are granted by UGC.	These universities come under the command of the Department of Higher Education (DHE), MHRD
They can decide their own curriculum	They can decide their own curriculum	Additional academic independence to switch courses and syllabus
Full freedom in deciding courses, syllabus, admissions, and fees	Need to stick to UGC regulations and rules for daily functions	Independent control over their daily functions, curriculum, and admission process
They Can grant degree or diploma to their students	These universities can grant a degree or diploma to their students, after getting approval from UGC	Degrees are mainly granted by affiliated universities (except for some state/central-funded colleges like IITs and IIMs)

Why were deemed universities set up in India?

After Independence, there was an acute need to raise people's key to proper higher education benefits and implant talents and knowledge in them to work and achieve a living.
Our nation had been always controlled and conflict-wrought beneath the British, and growing our human resources was the only route to improve the country’s condition.
Thus, the regime established numerous universities for higher studies, and over the period the accounts and struggles put into them supported them reach international standards. Yet, the demand was massive and ever-increasing, while the supply of universities by the government fell behind.
Meanwhile, private universities had also started establishing their own academic institutions (specifically after privatization standards were accepted) and few of them also initiated reaching the set benchmarks of higher studies.
To promote more such universities and to deliver them with government recognition and advantages, the condition for the status of Deemed to be University was created.
If a university fulfilled specific measures set by the UGC and received the status of deemed university, it would mean that it acquired such standards of education as specified by the UGC.
Thus, individuals could count on and trust such an institution if they were looking to register in it, even though it was not a government-accepted institution
The UGC policies which define everything linked to the deemed universities, from the process to acquire this status to the points of its governance body, are shown in the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2019.