goc (game of chance) UGC To Offer Accelerated & Extended Degree Programmes For Flexibility Of Students | Details

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved the SOPs for HEIs to offer the Accelerated Degree Programme (ADP) and Extended Degree Programme (EDP). Photo: PTI The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved the SOPs for HEIs to offer the Accelerated Degree Programme (ADP) and Extended Degree Programme (EDP). Photo: PTI

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will soon be able to offer an option to undergraduate students to shorten or extend their study durations instead of the standard duration of their degree programmes.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved the SOPs for HEIs to offer the Accelerated Degree Programme (ADP) and Extended Degree Programme (EDP) in a meeting this week. The draft norms will now be put in the public domain for feedback from stakeholders.

UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar told PTI that under ADP and EDP, students will earn the same total credits as in the standard-duration programme and the higher education institutions will establish committees to evaluate students' eligibility for these programmes.

UGC New Implementation | Top Points

The degrees will mention a self-contained note that the academic requirements needed in a standard duration have been completed in a shortened or extended duration and they will be treated at par with standard duration degrees for academic and recruitment purposes.

Top foreign universities also offer the option to students to finish their degree earlier or later than stipulated duration.

According to the SOPs, the institutions may earmark up to 10 per cent of the sanctioned intake for ADP. The HEIs may constitute a committee to scrutinize applications received at the end of the first or the second semester under EDP and ADP and select students accordingly.

In the ADP, students will follow the same curriculum content and total credits prescribed for the programme for a standard duration.

In a three-year or four-year undergraduate programme, the duration may be extended up to a maximum of two semesters.

The UGC has noted that the HEIs may issue degrees for students on completion of the programme in the opted duration (shortened or extended duration) and need not wait to complete the standard duration for the award of the formal degree.

The committee constituted by the HEI will evaluate the credit-completing potential of a student based on their performance in the first or the second semester and give its recommendations.

The committee shall then recommend a reduction or an increase in the number of courses and total credits per semester, as per the duration opted by the students. 

The ADP allows students to complete a degree in less time by earning additional credits per semester. Meanwhile, the EDP offers a longer timeline, with fewer credits per semester, but still completing the same total credits.

Both programs result in degrees equivalent to standard-duration degrees for employment and academic purposes.

Students can opt for ADP after the first or second semester, starting to earn extra credits from the second or third semester, respectively. EDP students earn fewer credits per semester, with a committee deciding the minimum number of credits required.

A note will be added to the degree, specifying the shortened or extended duration of the program.

The transcripts will reflect only the courses taken each semestergoc (game of chance), with the same examination and evaluation system as the standard program.